Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared for the selective detection of low levels of pharmaceuticals, including oxycodone hydrochloride and warfarin. Oxycodone hydrochloride (oxy) is a prescription narcotic from the opioid family used as a pain reliever. Warfarin is a common prescription drug used as a blood thinner. If traces of these drugs reach environmental water through the sewer or landfills, even in low concentrations, they may be harmful to aquatic life. The goal is to develop imprinted polymers that can be used either in a solid phase extraction cartridge for the concentration of each pharmaceutical from dilute environmental samples, or for direct analysis of the compounds by packing the MIPs into a HPLC columns. MIPs were prepared noncovalently with template (oxy or warfarin), monomer (methacrylic acid), and crosslinker (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) in the ratio of 1:8:40. 2,2’-azobisisobutyronitrile was added as initiator in dry chloroform for warfarin, and in dry chloroform and dimethyl sulfoxide for oxy, and polymerization was completed by ultraviolet radiation for 24 hours at 365 nm at 6 °C followed by placing polymers in an oven at 80 °C for 2 hours. Control polymers with no pharmaceutical templates were also prepared for comparison. Recovery of template after grinding polymers was 73.6% for oxy and 74.9% for warfarin. Polymers were sieved to collect particles between 25 and 63 μm, which will be packed into empty stainless steel HPLC columns for evaluation of their ability to selectively retain the pharmaceutical for which they were prepared.

Detection of low concentration of oxycodone hydrochloride and warfarin using molecularly imprinted polymers

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.