Synthesis of Zn metal–organic framework doped magnetic graphene oxide for preconcentration and extraction of cefixime followed by its measurement using HPLC

[Display omitted] •Synthesis of magnetic Zn metal–organic framework/graphene oxide composite (ZnMOF@MGO)•Highly efficient magnetic-solid phase extraction of cefixime from complex matrix.•Highly sensitive determination of cefixime by HPLC after its extraction using ZnMOF@MGO.•Without any interfering effect from other examined drugs.•Application for the measurement of cefixime in pharmaceutical and biological samples. In this work, an attempt was made to develop a powerful method for the determination of cefixime, as a widely used cephalosporin antibiotic. The method was based on the facile extraction and preconcentration of cefixime using Zn metal–organic framework doped magnetic graphene oxide composite (ZnMOF@MGO), followed by its determination using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The high surface area, great stability, and distinct features of the new adsorbent made it ideal for very efficient interactions with analyte molecules. ZnMOF@MGO was able to effectively extract cefixime from the complex matrix of real samples. Furthermore, the application of the magnetic-solid phase extraction (MSPE) process provided a low-cost and simple extraction process with a reduced extraction time. The combination of a high-performance extraction with a potent HPLC system resulted in a highly sensitive and selective analytical detection method. The method was able to detect cefixime in a linear range of 0.5–130 ng mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.11 ng mL−1, no important interfering effect was caused by other examined drugs. It was examined for the analysis of cefixime content of pharmaceutical and biological samples and acceptable recovery values were obtained.