Covalent molecular imprinting of bisphenol A using its diesters followed by the reductive cleavage with LiAlH4

Bisphenol A (BPA) recognition materials were synthesized by a covalent imprinting technique using BPA–dimethacrylate or BPA–diacrylate as the template monomer. Binding sites in the polymers consisted of two hydroxyl groups that are generated by reducing the ester bonds of the template monomer with lithium aluminum hydride. The polymers strongly adsorbed BPA and structurally related compounds, however, other endocrine disruptors were hardly adsorbed. The BPA–dimethacrylate-based polymer interacted with the samples more strongly than the BPA–diacrylate-based polymer.