Selective recognition and separation of β-lactam antibiotics using molecularly imprinted polymers

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to penicillin V or oxacillin were prepared, and their recognition properties were investigated, both in organic and aqueous phases. The resulting MIPs proved to be efficient in distinguishing between different penicillins (penicillin V, penicillin G and oxacillin), but could also be prepared to recognise the penicillins as a group. The results indicate that MIPs can be used to prepare either selective or general recognition matrices for penicillins, which can be of potential use in separation and detection applications.