Design of a pseudo stir bar sorptive extraction using graphenized pencil lead as the base of the molecularly imprinted polymer for extraction of nabumetone.

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized through the coprecipitation method on the graphene oxide anchored pencil lead as a substrate for the first time and applied as an efficient sorbent for pseudo stir bar sorptive extraction of nabumetone. The extracted analyte was determined by a novel spectrophotometric method based on the aggregation of silicate sol-gel stabilized silver nanoparticles in the presence of the analyte. The synthesized polymer was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Optimization of important parameters affecting the extraction efficiency was done using central composite design whereas the spectrophotometric method was optimized via one at a time variable. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curve exhibited linearity in the concentration range of 1.5-20.0 μg L-1. A limit of detection of 0.20 μg L-1, an enhancement factor of 393 and relative standard deviations (at 10 μg L-1, n = 6) of 4.6% and 8.1% for intra- and inter-day analysis were obtained. The developed procedure was successfully utilized for the quantification of traces of nabumetone in tap water and biological samples with the complex matrix including human urine and serum.