Dopamine-Imprinted Polymers: Template-Monomer Interactions, Analysis of Template Removal and Application to Solid Phase Extraction

• Main Authors: Mirosław Szutowski, Magdalena Bamburowicz-Klimkowska, Dorota Maciejewska, Piotr Luliński
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2007-11-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: Dopamine hydrochloride isolation; theoretical binding energy; molecularly imprinted polymer; template removal; solid phase extraction
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/12/11/2434/

A dopamine-imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared in aqueous methanolsolution at 60oC by free-radical cross-linking polymerization of methacrylic acid in thepresence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker and dopamine hydrochlorideas the template molecule. Its ability to isolate dopamine was evaluated as the basis of asolid phase extraction procedure and compared with that of a non-imprinted polymer(NIP). The binding of dopamine was 84.1% and 29.1% for MIP and NIP, respectively.Various reported post-polymerization treatments to reduce template bleeding wereexamined. In our case the lowest bleeding was achieved after applying a combinedprocedure: continuous extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus (CE), followed by microwave-assisted extraction (ME) to a level of 0.061 μg/mL. A simplified model of the template-monomer complexes allowed rationalization of monomer choice based on the heats ofcomplex formation at a PM3 level of theory.