Abstract
A molecularly imprinted monolithic material was designed and prepared by in situ thermally initiated copolymerization for the extraction of protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid from Salicornia herbacea L. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and offline solid‐phase extraction (SPE) were investigated for the characterization of this material. The extract samples were loaded onto and passed through the monolithic material; the target compounds were selectively retained on the material, whereas other interfering substances were quickly washed out. Chromatographic analysis was conducted on a C~18~ column with ultraviolet detection at 270 nm, and an eluting solution consisting of acetonitrile, water, and acetic acid (14/86/0.5 v/v/v, pH 5.0) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The linearity was confirmed in the concentration ranges of 0.10–200.00, 0.20–400.00, and 0.30–600.00 μg/mL for protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid, respectively, with r^2^ greater than 0.9997. The SPE recoveries of the three organic acids ranged from 71.08 to 81.02%, and the coefficient of variation (precision) was 3.08–5.70%. This method is simple, economical, and specific and has been used successfully in the extraction of three organic acids from S. herbacea L. This cartridge can be used as a potential tool for the extraction of drugs from natural plants. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011