Chromatography Forum

ACN is the standard organic solvent used for QuEChERS (extraction, dispersive SPE)

Anybody ever used an alternative organic solvent?
Any suggestions for an alternative organic solvent?

ACN is the most commonly used solvent used with QuECHERS methods because of its ability to extraction a broad range of pesticides, as well as other compounds, while eliminating many unwanted compounds. Actual choice depends on the compounds of interest, possible interferences, and type of analysis. For example, ACN is also the most common solvent used with LCMS, making it desirable to use ACN as the extraction solvent when analysis will be by LC-MS. That being said, I have seen methanol and toluene suggested as well. I would suggest checking QuECHERS SPE Guides from various companies for other alternative solvents, such as Supelco, Water's, UCT, Baker, etc. I hope this has been helpful.

Linda Koch

Hello Mr. Brown,

One thing to keep in mind is that QuEChERS uses acetonitrile. If you use a different solvent, it's no longer QuEChERS.

With that out of the way, ethyl acetate does a better job of extracting pesticides from high lipid matrices. When you use a different solvent, all bets are off on using dSPE. It all depends on whether the analytes have a stronger affinity for the sorbent or the solvent.

Isopropanol appears in a couple publications as an alternative QuEChERS solvent. Like acetonitrile it does participate in salting-out. However you may attract undesirable fatty matrix components.

Methanol doesn't salt out, at least not unless you mix it with some percentage of other solvents. Toluene is, of course, not going to be compatible with reverse phase LCMS.

There was a little paper published on this topic by one of the QuEChERS vendors while I was doing literature hunting. just try googling it online it should pop up. It was during the global ACN shortage. But generally what they did was using a variety of mixture of different organic solvents to try and mimic the polarity of ACN.

Tarapan.

Thank your for your replies.

Hello; I think the second stage in Quechers when we use PSA is a kind of HILIC retention mecanism for sugars and lipids; thne you should use a similar solvent; IPA could work.