Greening sample preparation of complex matrices by using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) together with porous polymeric adsorbents for subsequent analyses by liquid chromatography (LC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)

Abstract

Recent technological advances in the so called genomics era have been revitalizing the exploitation of the value of natural products as starting points for drug discovery. The rational exploitation of biodiversity offers significant economic opportunities to Brazil and Australia. One of the most challenging steps in chemical investigations of complex natural samples is sample preparation. Whereas the success of the chromatographic or spectrophotometric analysis relies on the quality of the sample presented to the analytical system, the greenness of the overall process is strongly impacted by this key step. This is because the common solvents used for extraction purposes are toxic to the environment. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) appear as potential green extraction media for natural products, but the recovery of the bioanalytes from the NADES enriched extract is still limiting. The goal of this collaborative project is to develop alternative, sustainable approaches for sample preparation of complex natural samples investigated under the ongoing CIBFar. Cheap, sustainable, and safe NADES and tailor-made polymeric adsorbents will be used during plant extraction and analyte recovering procedures and the efficiency of both procedures will be monitored by high performance liquid chromatography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. The performances of the developed strategies and methods will be compared to those previously developed under the ongoing CIBFar project by using traditional solvents. (AU)