The use of molecularly imprinted polymers for extraction of sulfonylurea herbicides

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) possessing a good binding ability for the family of sulfonylurea herbicides were prepared using 4- or 2-vinyl pyridine as functional monomers and ethylene glycol dimethylacrylate as a crosslinker. Metsulfuron methyl was used as a template. It was found that MIP prepared in a polar organic solvent (acetonitrile) showed good recognition of the template and five other sulfonylurea herbicides (thifensulfuron methyl, chlorsulfuron, prosulfuron, chlorimuron ethyl, triflusulfuron methyl). The binding capacity was 0.08–0.1 mg g −1 of the polymer. It was found that the polymer could be used for quantitative enrichment (>75%) of five sulfonylurea herbicides from water.