Graphene Oxide Functionalized Based on Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction of Vitamin B12 Spectrophotometric Determination in Pharmaceutical Samples
Vian Mohammed Abdulrazzaq(1), Ahmed Fadhil Khudhair(2*), Thaer Mahdi Madlool AL-Rammahi(3)
(1) Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kerbala, Twayreej Street 84, Karbala 56001, Iraq
(2) Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kerbala, Twayreej Street 84, Karbala 56001, Iraq
(3) Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kerbala, Twayreej Street 84, Karbala 56001, Iraq
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
Sample treatment is crucial for detecting target compounds in complex matrices. Recently, graphene oxide (GO) and its composites have garnered attention as sorbents for sample preparation; however, their application in vitamin B12 (VB12) extraction has not been fully explored. In this study, a dispersive solid-phase extraction (D-SPE) method was developed for the spectrophotometric determination of VB12 in pharmaceutical samples using GO, chitosan (CTS), and a GO/CTS composite as sorbents. The materials were characterized using FTIR, XRD, BET, and FESEM. Extraction conditions were optimized, such as pH, sorbent amount, contact time, eluent type and volume, and desorption temperature. Under these conditions, the developed D-SPE method achieved linear calibration ranges of 0.05–15, 0.1–10, and 0.02–10 µg mL−1, with correlation coefficients of 0.9997, 0.9990, and 0.9998, respectively, after extracting VB12 with GO, CTS, and GO/CTS. The limits of quantification were in the range of 1.00–2.09 µg mL−1, with relative standard deviations of less than 0.11% (n = 3). Recoveries in pharmaceutical samples ranged from 95.1 to 112.8% (GO), 91.8 to 95.5% (CTS), and 87.5 to 103.8% (GO/CTS). These results demonstrate that the GO/CTS composite is an efficient and reliable adsorbent for extracting VB12 in pharmaceutical applications.
Keywords
References
[1] Badawy, M.E.I., El-Nouby, M.A.M., Kimani, P.K., Lim, L.W., and Rabea, E.I., 2022, A review of the modern principles and applications of solid-phase extraction techniques in chromatographic analysis, Anal. Sci., 38 (12), 1457–1487.
[2] Hamran, B.N., Khudhair, A.F., and Marhoon, A.A., 2020, Cloud point extraction of paracetamol in pharmaceutical formation coupling with spectrophotometric method, AIP Conf. Proc., 2235 (1), 030021.
[3] Ścigalski, P., and Kosobucki, P., 2020, Recent materials developed for dispersive solid phase extraction, Molecules, 25 (21), 4869.
[4] Büyüktiryaki, S., Keçili, R., and Hussain, C.M., 2020, Functionalized nanomaterials in dispersive solid phase extraction: Advances & prospects, TrAC, Trends Anal. Chem., 127, 115893.
[5] Hashemi, B., Zohrabi, P., and Shamsipur, M., 2018, Recent developments and applications of different sorbents for SPE and SPME from biological samples, Talanta, 187, 337–347.
[6] Saleh, T.A., 2021, Polymer Hybrid Materials and Nanocomposites: Fundamentals and Applications, William Andrew, Norwich, NY, US.
[7] Zhang, X., Niu, J., Zhang, X., Xiao, R., Lu, M., and Cai, Z., 2017, Graphene oxide-SiO2 nanocomposite as the adsorbent for extraction and preconcentration of plant hormones for HPLC analysis, J. Chromatogr. B, 1046, 58–64.
[8] Bagheripour, E., Moghadassi, A.R., Hosseini, S.M., Van der Bruggen, B., and Parvizian, F., 2018, Novel composite graphene oxide/chitosan nanoplates incorporated into PES based nanofiltration membrane: Chromium removal and antifouling enhancement, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 62, 311–320.
[9] Shi, Z., Zhang, D., Li, X., Shen, H., Zhao, X., and Zhang, H., 2017, In-syringe chitosan-assisted dispersive micro-solid phase extraction for the determination of anthraquinones in rhubarb-based oral liquids using high performance liquid chromatography, Anal. Methods, 9 (36), 5371–5377.
[10] Andi Muhammad, A., Agustina, N., Amran, A., Zurnansyah, Z., Samnur, S., and Sujiono, E.H., 2022, Synthesis and characterisation of graphene oxide/chitosan composite membranes from natural waste, J. Phys. Sci., 33 (3), 63–79.
[11] Butola, L.K., Kute, P.K., Anjankar, A., Dhok, A., Gusain, N., and Vagga, A., 2020, Vitamin B12 – Do you know everything?, J. Evol. Med. Dent. Sci., 9 (42), 3139–3147.
[12] Rizzo, G., and Laganà, A.S., 2020, “A review of vitamin B12” in Molecular Nutrition, Eds. Patel, V.B., Academic Press, Cambridge, MA, US, 105–129.
[13] Ullah, H., and Daglia, M., 2024, “Nutraceuticals and food supplements: Basic concepts and regulatory aspects” in Nutraceuticals: A Holistic Approach to Disease Prevention, De Gruyter, Berlin, Germany, 1–16.
[14] Li, X., Lv, H., Luo, W., Yang, W., Kong, L., Zhu, Q., and Zeng, L., 2025, Recent advances in detection techniques for vitamin analysis: A comprehensive review, Food Chem.: X, 26, 102226.
[15] Wang, X., Li, X., Liu, X., Zhao, X., Li, X., Zhang, Q., and Yin, X., 2022, Accurate determination of vitamin B12 in infant formula by liquid chromatography/isotope dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry, LWT, 171, 114170.
[16] Long, Y., Zhang, L., Yu, Y., Lin, B., Cao, Y., and Guo, M., 2019, Silicon nanoparticles synthesized using a microwave method and used as a label-free fluorescent probe for detection of VB12, Luminescence, 34 (6), 544–552.
[17] Lu, Q., Feng, Y., Zhou, Q., Yang, T., Kuang, H., Xu, C., and Guo, L., 2025, A time-resolved fluorescent microsphere immunochromatographic assay for determination of vitamin B12 in infant formula milk powder, Biosensors, 15 (2), 65.
[18] Bhaiyya, M., Pattnaik, P.K., and Goel, S., 2021, Simultaneous detection of vitamin B12 and vitamin C from real samples using miniaturized laser-induced graphene based electrochemiluminescence device with closed bipolar electrode, Sens. Actuators, A, 331, 112831.
[19] Antherjanam, S., Saraswathyamma, B., Krishnan, R.G., and Gopakumar, G.M., 2021, Electrochemical sensors as a versatile tool for the quantitative analysis of vitamin B12, Chem. Pap., 75 (7), 2981–2995.
[20] Erarpat, S., Bodur, S., Günkara, Ö.T., and Bakırdere, S., 2022, Combination of high performance liquid chromatography and flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry using a novel nebulizer interface supported T-shaped slotted quartz tube for the determination of vitamin B12, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., 217, 114855.
[21] Yazıcı, E., Fırat, M., Selali Chormey, D., Gülhan Bakırdere, E., and Bakırdere, S., 2020, An accurate determination method for cobalt in sage tea and cobalamin: Slotted quartz tube-flame atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration with switchable liquid–liquid microextraction using a Schiff base, Food Chem., 302, 125336.
[22] Yaseen, S.M., Qassim, B.B., and Al-Lami, N.O., 2020, Spectrophotometric determination of Co (II) in vitamin B12 using 2-(biphenyl-4-yl)-3-((2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono)methyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine as ligand by flow injection–merging zone analysis, Al-Nahrain J. Sci., 23 (3), 24–38.
[23] Karami, M., Safaei, M., Shishehbore, M.R., and Sheibani, A., 2021, Modeling and optimizing of effective factors on kinetic spectrophotometric determination of vitamin B12, J. Appl. Spectrosc., 88 (5), 1095–1104.
[24] Zaaba, N.I., Foo, K.L., Hashim, U., Tan, S.J., Liu, W.W., and Voon, C.H., 2017, Synthesis of graphene oxide using modified Hummers method: Solvent influence, Procedia Eng., 184, 469–477.
[25] Méndez-Lozano, N., Pérez-Reynoso, F., and González-Gutiérrez, C., 2022, Eco-friendly approach for graphene oxide synthesis by modified Hummers method, Materials, 15 (20), 7228.
[26] Zuo, P.P., Feng, H.F., Xu, Z.Z., Zhang, L.F., Zhang, Y.L., Xia, W., and Zhang, W.Q., 2013, Fabrication of biocompatible and mechanically reinforced graphene oxide–chitosan nanocomposite films, Chem. Cent. J., 7 (1), 39.
[27] Sabzevari, M., Cree, D.E., and Wilson, L.D., 2018, Graphene oxide–chitosan composite material for treatment of a model dye effluent, ACS Omega, 3 (10), 13045–13054.
[28] Omar, H., Malek, N.S.A., Nurfazianawatie, M.Z., Rosman, N.F., Bunyamin, I., Abdullah, S., Khusaimi, Z., Rusop, M., and Asli, N.A., 2023, A review of synthesis graphene oxide from natural carbon-based coconut waste by Hummers method, Mater. Today: Proc., 75, 188–192.
[29] Croitoru, A.M., Ficai, A., Ficai, D., Trusca, R., Dolete, G., Andronescu, E., and Turculet, S.C., 2020, Chitosan/graphene oxide nanocomposite membranes as adsorbents with applications in water purification, Materials, 13 (7), 1687.
[30] Zam, Z.Z., Muin, F., and Fataruba, A., 2021, Identification of chitosan beads from coconut crab Patani variety using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), J. Phys.: Conf. Ser., 1832 (1), 012014.
[31] Sadeghzadeh, S.M., Zhiani, R., and Emrani, S., 2017, KCC-1/GMSI/VB12 as a new nano catalyst for the carbonylative Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, RSC Adv., 7 (51), 32139–32145.
[32] Cao, L., Zhang, F., Wang, Q., and Wu, X., 2017, Fabrication of chitosan/graphene oxide polymer nanofiber and its biocompatibility for cartilage tissue engineering, Mater. Sci. Eng., C, 79, 697–701.
[33] Dumitrescu, C.R., Neacsu, I.A., Surdu, V.A., Nicoara, A.I., Iordache, F., Trusca, R., Ciocan, L.T., Ficai, A., and Andronescu, E., 2021, Nano-hydroxyapatite vs. xenografts: Synthesis, characterization, and in vitro behavior, Nanomaterials, 11 (9), 2289.
[34] Öztekin, D., Arbağ, H., and Yaşyerli, S., 2025, Preparation of RGO with enhanced electrical conductivity: Effects of sequential reductions of L-ascorbic acid and thermal, Arabian J. Sci. Eng., 50 (13), 9905–9918.
[35] Yang, J., Shojaei, S., and Shojaei, S., 2022, Removal of drug and dye from aqueous solutions by graphene oxide: Adsorption studies and chemometrics methods, NPJ Clean Water, 5 (1), 5.
[36] Rahmawati, F., Prasasti, B.L.W., and Mudjijono, M., 2018, Graphene oxide from carbon rod waste, IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng., 333 (1), 012012.
[37] Khudhair, A.F., Saeed, S.I., and Hanoon, H.D., 2023, Ultrasonic extraction of vitamin B6 from aqueous solution using a multi-adsorbent layer solid phase graphene oxide, AIP Conf. Proc., 2414 (1), 050026.
[38] Reshma, R.P., Abishek, N.S., and Gopalakrishna, K.N., 2024, Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide, tin oxide, and reduced graphene oxide–tin oxide nanocomposites, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 165, 112451.
[39] Surekha, G., Krishnaiah, K.V., Ravi, N., and Padma Suvarna, R., 2020, FTIR, Raman and XRD analysis of graphene oxide films prepared by modified Hummers method, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser., 1495 (1), 012012.
[40] Manoratne, C.H., Rosa, S.R.D., and Kottegoda, I.R.M., 2017, XRD-HTA, UV-visible, FTIR and SEM interpretation of reduced graphene oxide synthesized from high purity vein graphite, Mater. Sci. Res. India, 14 (1), 19–30.
[41] Hidayah, N.M.S., Liu, W.W., Lai, C.W., Noriman, N.Z., Khe, C.S., Hashim, U., and Lee, H.C., 2017, Comparison on graphite, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide: Synthesis and characterization, AIP Conf. Proc., 1892 (1), 150002.
[42] Clegg, W., 2003, “X-ray Diffraction” in Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry II, Eds. McCleverty, J.A., and Meyer, T.J., Pergamon, Oxford, UK, 57–64.
[43] Rinaudo, M., 2006, Chitin and chitosan: Properties and applications, Prog. Polym. Sci., 31 (7), 603–632.
[44] Mukherjee, D., Srinivasan, B., Anbu, J., Azamthulla, M., Banala, Venkatesh T., and Ramachandra, S.G., 2018, Improvement of bone microarchitecture in methylprednisolone-induced rat model of osteoporosis by using thiolated chitosan-based risedronate mucoadhesive film, Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm., 44 (11), 1845–1856.
[45] Sharma, S., Sudhakara, P., Singh, J., Ilyas, R.A., Asyraf, M.R.M., and Razman, M.R., 2021, Critical review of biodegradable and bioactive polymer composites for bone tissue engineering and drug delivery applications, Polymers, 13 (16), 2623.
[46] Abolhassani, M., Griggs, C.S., Gurtowski, L.A., Mattei-Sosa, J.A., Nevins, M., Medina, V.F., Morgan, T.A., and Greenlee, L.F., 2017, Scalable chitosan–graphene oxide membranes: The effect of GO size on properties and cross-flow filtration performance, ACS Omega, 2 (12), 8751–8759.
[47] Sabzevari, M., Cree, D.E., and Wilson, L.D., 2019, Mechanical properties of graphene oxide-based composite layered materials, Mater. Chem. Phys., 234, 81–89.
[48] Han, D., Yan, L., Chen, W., and Li, W., 2011, Preparation of chitosan/graphene oxide composite film with enhanced mechanical strength in the wet state, Carbohydr. Polym., 83 (2), 653–658.
[49] Rout, P.R., Bhunia, P., and Dash, R.R., 2015, A mechanistic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of red soil as a natural adsorbent for phosphate removal from wastewater, Desalin. Water Treat., 54 (2), 358–373.
[50] Gibson, N., Kuchenbecker, P., Rasmussen, K., Hodoroaba, V.D., and Rauscher, H., 2020, “Volume-specific surface area by gas adsorption analysis with the BET method” in Characterization of Nanoparticles, Eds. Hodoroaba, V.D., Unger, W.E.S., and Shard, A.G., Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 265–294.
[51] Ding, C., He, J., Wu, H., and Zhang, X., 2021, Nanometer pore structure characterization of Taiyuan Formation shale in the Lin-Xing area based on nitrogen adsorption experiments, Minerals, 11 (3), 298.
[52] Dreyer, D.R., Park, S., Bielawski, C.W., and Ruoff, R.S., 2010, The chemistry of graphene oxide, Chem. Soc. Rev., 39 (1), 228–240.
[53] Marcano, D.C., Kosynkin, D.V., Berlin, J.M., Sinitskii, A., Sun, Z., Slesarev, A., Alemany, L.B., Lu, W., and Tour, J.M., 2010, Improved synthesis of graphene oxide, ACS Nano, 4 (8), 4806–4814.
[54] Liu, F., Chung, S., Oh, G., and Seo, T.S., 2012, Three-dimensional graphene oxide nanostructure for fast and efficient water-soluble dye removal, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 4 (2), 922–927.
[55] Saghir, S., Pu, C., Fu, E., Wang, Y., and Xiao, Z., 2022, Synthesis of high surface area porous biochar obtained from pistachio shells for the efficient adsorption of organic dyes from polluted water, Surf. Interfaces, 34, 102357.
[56] Chang, L., Yi, Z., Wang, Z., Wang, L., and Cheng, Y., 2019, Ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets anchored on graphene with improved electrochemical kinetics for reversible lithium and sodium storage, Appl. Surf. Sci., 484, 646–654.
[57] Thommes, M., Neimark, A.V., Olivier, J.P., Rodriguez-Reinoso, F., Rouquerol, J., and Sing, K.S.W., 2015, Physisorption of gases, with special reference to the evaluation of surface area and pore size distribution (IUPAC Technical Report), Pure Appl. Chem., 87 (9-10), 1051–1069.
[58] Thomou, E., 2021, Design and Study of Pillared Graphenes and Nanoporous Carbon Materials for Energy, Environmental and Catalytic Applications, Dissertation, University of Groningen, Netherlands.
[59] Lupaşcu, T., Petuhov, O., Ţîmbaliuc, N., Cibotaru, S., and Rotaru, A., 2020, Adsorption capacity of vitamin B12 and creatinine on highly-mesoporous activated carbons obtained from lignocellulosic raw materials, Molecules, 25 (13), 3095.
[60] Wang, X., Lin, Q., Pan, H., Jia, S., Wu, H., Shi, Y., and Wang, Z., 2020, Oxidation modification of chitosan-based mesoporous carbon by soft template method and the adsorption and release properties of hydroxycamptothecin, Sci. Rep., 10 (1), 15772.
[61] Alnoor, O., Laoui, T., Ibrahim, A., Kafiah, F., Nadhreen, G., Akhtar, S., and Khan, Z., 2020, Graphene oxide-based membranes for water purification applications: Effect of plasma treatment on the adhesion and stability of the synthesized membranes, Membranes, 10 (10), 292.
[62] Barahuie, F., Saifullah, B., Dorniani, D., Fakurazi, S., Karthivashan, G., Hussein, M.Z., and Elfghi, F.M., 2017, Graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for controlled release and targeted delivery of an anticancer active agent, chlorogenic acid, Mater. Sci. Eng., C, 74, 177–185.
[63] Gámiz-González, M.A., Correia, D.M., Lanceros-Mendez, S., Sencadas, V., Gómez Ribelles, J.L., and Vidaurre, A., 2017, Kinetic study of thermal degradation of chitosan as a function of deacetylation degree, Carbohydr. Polym., 167, 52–58.
[64] Kumar, A.S.K., and Jiang, S.J., 2016, Chitosan-functionalized graphene oxide: A novel adsorbent an efficient adsorption of arsenic from aqueous solution, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 4 (2), 1698–1713.
[65] Sun, J., Liang, Q., Han, Q., Zhang, X., and Ding, M., 2015, One-step synthesis of magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite and its application in magnetic solid phase extraction of heavy metal ions from biological samples, Talanta, 132, 557–563.
[66] Çalışkan Salihi, E., Wang, J., Kabacaoğlu, G., Kırkulak, S., and Šiller, L., 2021, Graphene oxide as a new generation adsorbent for the removal of antibiotics from waters, Sep. Sci. Technol., 56 (3), 453–461.
[67] Moradi, M., Zenouzi, S., Ahmadi, K., and Aghakhani, A., 2015, Graphene oxide-based solid phase extraction of vitamin B12 from pharmaceutical formulations and its determination by X-ray fluorescence, X-Ray Spectrom., 44 (1), 16–23.
[68] Chang, Z., Chen, Y., Tang, S., Yang, J., Chen, Y., Chen, S., Li, P., and Yang, Z., 2020, Construction of chitosan/polyacrylate/graphene oxide composite physical hydrogel by semi-dissolution/acidification/sol-gel transition method and its simultaneous cationic and anionic dye adsorption properties, Carbohydr. Polym., 229, 115431.
[69] Mahmoodi, H., Fattahi, M., and Motevassel, M., 2021, Graphene oxide–chitosan hydrogel for adsorptive removal of diclofenac from aqueous solution: Preparation, characterization, kinetic and thermodynamic modelling, RSC Adv., 11 (57), 36289–36304.
[70] Li, B., Cui, Y., Japip, S., Thong, Z., and Chung, T.S., 2018, Graphene oxide (GO) laminar membranes for concentrating pharmaceuticals and food additives in organic solvents, Carbon, 130, 503–514.
[71] Angela Mwesigye, K., Zhou, B., Wang, F., Zhu, L., and Tang, Y., 2023, Novel dye removing agent based on CTS-g-P(AA-co-NIPAM)/GO composite, Arabian J. Chem., 16 (4), 104581.
[72] Ramazani Afarani, Z., Sarvi, M.N., and Akbari Alavijeh, M., 2018, Modification of montmorillonite nanolayers as a pH-responsive carrier of biomolecules: Delivery of vitamin B12, J. Taiwan Inst. Chem. Eng., 84, 19–27.
[73] Lipatov, A., Guinel, M.J.F., Muratov, D.S., Vanyushin, V.O., Wilson, P.M., Kolmakov, A., and Sinitskii, A., 2018, Low-temperature thermal reduction of graphene oxide: In situ correlative structural, thermal desorption, and electrical transport measurements, Appl. Phys. Lett., 112 (5), 053103.
[74] Fathalian, F., Moghadamzadeh, H., Hemmati, A., and Ghaemi, A., 2024, Efficient CO2 adsorption using chitosan, graphene oxide, and zinc oxide composite, Sci. Rep., 14 (1), 3186.
[75] Shrivastava, A., and Gupta, V.B., 2011, Methods for the determination of limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the analytical methods, Chron. Young Sci., 2 (1), 21–25.
[76] Lanin, S.N., Platonova, S.A., Vinogradov, A.E., Lanina, K.S., Nesterenko, E.P., and Nesterenko, P.N., 2020, Comparative study of different polar adsorbents for adsorption of water soluble vitamins, Adsorption, 26 (3), 339–348.
[77] Flieger, J., Żuk, N., Pasieczna-Patkowska, S., Flieger, M., Panek, R., Klepka, T., and Franus, W., 2024, Optimization of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) sorption onto mesoporous superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, Molecules, 29 (9), 2094.
[78] Ranguin, R., Ncibi, M.C., Jean-Marius, C., Brouers, F., Cebrián-Torrejón, G., Doménech-Carbó, A., Souila, S., Sánchez-Aparicio, J.E., Dorce, D., Zapirain-Gysling, I., Maréchal, J.D., Jauregui-Haza, U., and Gaspard, S., 2025, Adsorption of vitamin B12 on sugarcane-derived activated carbon: Fractal isotherm and kinetics modelling, electrochemistry and molecular modelling studies, Molecules, 30 (10), 2096.
[79] Awwad, H.M., Aljeboree, A.M., Al-Baiati, M.N., and Alkaim, A.F., 2021, Synthesis and characterization of nano-composite co-polymer: Adsorption and removal studies of vitamin B12 from aqueous solutions, IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., 790 (1), 012057.
[80] Akbari Alavijeh, M., Sarvi, M.N., and Ramazani Afarani, Z., 2017, Properties of adsorption of vitamin B12 on nanoclay as a versatile carrier, Food Chem., 219, 207–214.
Article Metrics
Copyright (c) 2025 Indonesian Journal of Chemistry

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Indonesian Journal of Chemistry (ISSN 1411-9420 /e-ISSN 2460-1578) - Chemistry Department, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.












