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Progress in Green Analytical Methods for the Detection of Trace Substances in Complex Matrices

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Analytical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1597

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; development, optimization and validation of analytical methods; chemometrics; mass spectrometry; hyphenated techniques; sample preparation; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; development, optimization and validation of analytical methods; sample preparation; mass spectrometry; gas and liquid chromatography; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable practices in analytical chemistry aim to minimize solvent use, waste generation, and energy consumption without compromising analytical performance. Emphasis is placed on green approaches based on the replacement of toxic solvents, the adoption of miniaturized sample preparation techniques, and the implementation of on-line and in-line protocols should be developed to detect trace substances in complex matrices, minimizing the impact on both human health and the environment. This Issue also explores integrated analytical strategies to assess the benefits and limitations of both green and conventional methods. Greenness evaluation remains a challenging task: contributions addressing the advancement of assessment tools and metrics are encouraged.

This Special Issue will focus on all aspects of green analytical chemistry, from innovation in materials for sample treatment, method development, validation, and application across various fields such as environmental monitoring, food safety, pharmaceuticals, and biological analysis.

Dr. Federica Bianchi
Dr. Nicolò Riboni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green analytical chemistry
  • greenness evaluation metrics
  • integrated analytical platforms
  • miniaturized sample preparation
  • green materials for sample pre-treatment
  • on-line and in-line sampling
  • automatization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 8255 KB  
Article
A Novel Cross Injection Analysis for Simultaneous Multi-Determination of Diabetic Nephropathy Biomarkers in Urine
by Prawpan Inpota and Nathawut Choengchan
Molecules 2026, 31(10), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101772 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 770
Abstract
This work presents, for the first time, a novel cross injection analysis (CIA) system for the simultaneous multi-determination of key biomarkers associated with diabetic nephropathy—namely, albumin, creatinine, and glucose—within a single analytical run. Unlike conventional flow-based techniques that rely on sequential measurements, the [...] Read more.
This work presents, for the first time, a novel cross injection analysis (CIA) system for the simultaneous multi-determination of key biomarkers associated with diabetic nephropathy—namely, albumin, creatinine, and glucose—within a single analytical run. Unlike conventional flow-based techniques that rely on sequential measurements, the proposed CIA platform integrates multiple analytical pathways into a unified design, enabling one-shot multi-analyte analysis without the need for complex separation units or injection valves. The system employs peristaltic pumps and a rectangular platform with orthogonal flow channels, allowing concurrent aspiration and efficient transport of reaction products to compact detectors. Albumin determination was based on ion-association with tetrabromophenolphthalein ethyl ester. Creatinine was measured using the Jaffé reaction. Glucose was colorimetrically detected via its reaction with 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid. The developed CIA provides enhanced sensitivity through its pre-mixing effect, enabling reliable quantification of trace analytes. Excellent analytical performance was achieved, including wide linear ranges (r2 > 0.99), good precision (RSD < 7%), and rapid analysis (5 min). The method was validated against established reference methods, showing no significant differences, and successfully applied to urine with satisfactory recoveries (84.8–107.3%). Importantly, the proposed system adheres to green chemistry by minimizing reagent consumption and waste generation, offering a sustainable approach for multi-parameter clinical analysis. Full article
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17 pages, 1692 KB  
Article
Non-Targeted Analysis of Carbofuran and Related Compounds in Commercial Formulations and Animal Tissue
by Genny Grasselli, Adriana Arigò, Giorgio Famiglini, Zdena Skrob, Arthur Sniegon, Tomas Cajthaml and Achille Cappiello
Molecules 2026, 31(2), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020259 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 504
Abstract
Recently, some cases of intentional animal poisoning using Carbofuran (CF) occurred in the Czech Republic, although CF is no longer available in the EU market. The present study describes a novel non-targeted analysis (NTA) workflow developed to possibly characterize 13 CF formulations from [...] Read more.
Recently, some cases of intentional animal poisoning using Carbofuran (CF) occurred in the Czech Republic, although CF is no longer available in the EU market. The present study describes a novel non-targeted analysis (NTA) workflow developed to possibly characterize 13 CF formulations from various sources to be certainly identified in real samples. Furthermore, a detection and quantification method for CF was developed for analyzing three animal samples, obtained from dead animals. The analyses were conducted using the liquid electron ionization (LEI) interface coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer, allowing the simultaneous characterization of the formulation’s volatile and low-volatile fractions. Almost all compounds detected in the different formulations were identified by comparing the experimental spectra with the NIST library at high probability values (95–99.38%). Determination of molecular ions, followed by MS/MS analysis, was performed to confirm compound identities at a high level of confidence. The quantification method for CF was successfully validated, showing negligible matrix effects (107%). CF was detected in two out of the three real samples. Only 3-keto-carbofuran was detected in one of the real samples; without any other marker, it was not possible to identify the specific formulation used in the three poisoning cases. Full article
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