Analytical chemistry with biosolvents

Abstract

One of the current trends in green analytical chemistry is the introduction of green solvents, some of which are biobased. At the same time, the development of the biorefinery concept has allowed more biochemicals to be obtained with increased efficiency and from a wider range of feedstocks. The first examples of the use of biosolvents in analytical applications included extractions performed with alcohols, esters, and terpenes. However, many more applications of biosolvents in extractions of bioactive compounds from various plant materials have also been reported, which hints at a wider range of potential analytical applications of biosolvents. It should also be noted that the biobased solvents applied in analytical chemistry are not always green, as some of them are toxic towards aquatic organisms. Graphical abstract

Greening sample preparation: An overview of cutting-edge contributions

“…However, addition of concentrated NaOH (10e20 M) was required to trigger phase separation. Recent reviews devoted to the application of greener solvents in analytical chemistry can be found [16,17].…”

Materials of biological origin and biofuels: Small environmental footprint and epigenetic impact (Review)

“…Ethyl lactate garnered by corn and soybeans through the fermentation of biomass and the reaction of two fermentation products, ethanol and lactic acid. Ethyl lactate is mainly used in the extraction of phytochemicals (37). Although extremely promising, it should be noted that not all biobased solvents are of no environmental consequence.…”

“…Although extremely promising, it should be noted that not all biobased solvents are of no environmental consequence. For example, terpenes are toxic to fish, while obtaining acetic acid from corn carbohydrate leads to higher emissions of greenhouse gasses than the production of its' fossil fuel-based counterpart (37).…”

Alternative Green Extraction Phases Applied to Microextraction Techniques for Organic Compound Determination

“…Despite the advantages, these solvents are still poorly explored as the extraction phase for microextraction techniques, mainly with chromatography techniques. Some drawbacks may have to be overcome, such as the high viscosity that causes poor analyte mass transfer and also the incompatibility with analytical instrumentation [91]. Nevertheless, an alternative would be their combination with other green solvents or their use as modifiers of solid sorbents, as already proposed by Hashemi et al (2018) [63].…”