Passive sampling of airborne furan indoors by solid-phase microextraction

Furan may be formed in food under heat treatment and is highly suspected to appear in indoor air. The possible exposure to indoor furan raises concerns because it has been found to cause carcinogenicity and cytotoxicity in animals. To determine airborne furan, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique was utilised as a diffusive sampler. The Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS, 75 μm) fibre was used, and the SPME fibre assembly was inserted into a polytetrafluoroethene tubing. Furan of known concentrations was generated in Tedlar gas bags for the evaluation of SPME diffusive samplers. After sampling, the sampler was inserted into the injection port of a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) for thermal desorption and analysis. Validation of the SPME device with active sampling by charcoal tube was performed side by side as well. The charcoal tube was desorbed by acetone before analysis with GC/MS. The experimental sampling constant of the sampler was found equal to (9.93 ± 1.28) × 10^?3 (cm³ min^?1) at 25°C. Furthermore, side-by-side validations between SPME device and charcoal tube showed linear relationship with r = 0.9927. The designed passive sampling device for furan has the advantages of both passive sampling and SPME technique and looks suitable for assessing indoor air quality.     

Dynamic solid phase microextraction for sampling of airborne sarin with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for rapid field detection and quantification

A portable dynamic air sampler and solid phase microextraction were used to simultaneously detect, identify, and quantify airborne sarin with immediate analysis of samples using a field portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system. A mathematical model was used with knowledge of the mass of sarin trapped, linear air velocity past the exposed sampling fiber, and sample duration allowing calculation of concentration estimates. For organizations with suitable field portable instrumentation, these methods are potentially useful for rapid onsite detection and quantification of high concern analytes, either through direct environmental sampling or through sampling of air collected in bags.     

Use of solid phase microextraction in diffusive sampling of the atmosphere generated by different essential oils

This work describes the development and optimisation of a complete headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the equilibrium headspace generated by a number of essential oils (EOs) with potential applications in active packaging, including basil (Ocinum basilicum), clove (Sygyzium aromaticum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), citronella (Melissa officinalis), and cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum). The method consists of a combination of fully exposed HS-SPME for qualitative analysis and diffusive HS-SPME for quantitative determination.First, complete optimisation of a fully exposed HS-SPME procedure was carried out by means of a combination of a Plackett-Burman screening experimental design and response surface modelling (RSM). The results were used to fully describe the atmosphere generated by the EOs and to select the most relevant compounds for further consideration.The fibres were then calibrated (i.e. the uptake rate was calculated) by exposing them to known concentrations of terpenes in closed extraction vials. With a sampling time of 30 min at 20 °C, uptake rates ranged from 2.2 to 3.3 pg (min ppb_v)⁻¹. Results were checked by sampling over extended periods of times, with the observed variation being less than 5%, despite a 10-fold increase in extraction time. The results were further validated by comparing the calculated diffusion coefficients with theoretical data. The ratios of experimental:theoretical values varied between 0.85 and 1.05. The sensitivity of the uptake rate to headspace concentration was also investigated; variation of less than 10% was observed despite changes in concentration of four orders of magnitude. The new diffusive sampling method proved to give robust determinations of all the test analytes (by contrast, HS-SPME failed for camphene, camphor and cinnamaldehyde), providing repetitivity and intermediate precision lower than 9% (the values for HS-SPME were 10 and 12%, respectively).     

Polyaniline-polypyrrole coating for solid phase microextraction

A procedure for direct electrochemical deposition of polyaniline-polypyrrole blend coating on the surface of stainless steel wire was suggested. Incorporation of polyaniline and polypyrrole into the blend coating was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. Key parameters (pyrrole, aniline, dopant and sulphuric acid concentrations and deposition potential) influencing the coating’s mechanical stability and surface homogeneity were optimised and thermostability of the coating was investigated. A possibility to apply the coating as a new fibre for solid phase microextraction was demonstrated. The coating showed better selectivity toward aromatic, hydrophobic compounds.      

Dynamic solid phase microextraction sampling for reactive terpenes in the presence of ozone

Dynamic gas sampling using solid phase microextraction (SPME) was evaluated for recovery of reactive terpenes and terpenoids in the presence of ozone. For limonene, α-terpineol and dihydromyrcenol in the 20-60 ppb range, this method achieves >80% recovery for ozone mixing ratios up to 100 ppb. Both the experimental results and a model analysis indicate that higher ozone concentrations and longer sampling times result in lower percent recovery. Typically greater than 90% recovery and ppb level method detection limits were achieved with a 5 min sample time. Increasing the flow rate from 100 to 400 sccm flow (5-20 cm s⁻¹) through the active sampler did not significantly affect sensitivity or recovery in most cases, probably due to negligible mass-transfer improvements. The recovery for each compound improves when sampling from a mixture of different species than that from a single compound sample. This may be due to competition for ozone amongst adsorbed species. Dynamic SPME sampling can improve detection and quantification of terpenes in reactive environments, especially for low vapor pressure (<5 mm Hg at 25 °C) compounds that can be adsorbed to ozone scrubbers used in other methods.     

Solid phase microextraction fills the gap in tissue sampling protocols

Metabolomics and biomarkers discovery are an integral part of bioanalysis. However, untargeted tissue analysis remains as the bottleneck of such studies due to the invasiveness of sample collection, as well as the laborious and time-consuming sample preparation protocols. In the current study, technology integrating in vivo sampling, sample preparation and global extraction of metabolites – solid phase microextraction was presented and evaluated during liver and lung transplantation in pig model. Sampling approaches, including selection of the probe, transportation, storage conditions and analyte coverage were discussed. The applicability of the method for metabolomics studies was demonstrated during lung transplantation experiments.     

Evaluation of solid-phase microextraction with PDMS for air sampling of gaseous organophosphate flame-retardants and plasticizers

As an inexpensive, simple, and low-solvent consuming extraction technique, the suitability of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sorbent was investigated as a quantitative method for sampling gaseous organophosphate triesters in air. These compounds have become ubiquitous in indoor air, because of their widespread use as additive flame retardants/plasticizers in various indoor materials. Results obtained by sampling these compounds at controlled air concentrations using SPME and active sampling on glass fibre filters were compared to evaluate the method. A constant linear airflow of 10 cm s^–1 over the fibres was applied to increase the extraction rate. For extraction of triethyl phosphate with a 100-m PDMS fibre, equilibrium was achieved after 8 h. The limit of detection was determined to be less than 10 pg m^–3. The PDMS–air partition coefficients, K_fs, for the individual organophosphate triesters were determined to be in the range 5–60×10⁶ at room temperature (22–23°C). Air measurements were performed utilising the determined coefficients for quantification. In samples taken from a lecture room four different airborne organophosphate esters were identified, the most abundant of which was tris(chloropropyl) phosphate, at the comparatively high level of 1.1 g m^–3. The results from SPME and active sampling had comparable repeatability (RSD less than 17%), and the determined concentrations were also similar. The results suggest that the investigated compounds were almost entirely associated with the gaseous phase at the time and place sampled.     

Calibration of the complex matrix effects on the sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in milk samples using solid phase microextraction

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), a simple, fast and promising sampling technique, has been widely used for complex sample analysis. However, complex matrices could modify the absorption property of coatings as well as the uptake kinetics of analytes, eventually biasing the quantification results. In the current study, we demonstrated the feasibility of a developed calibration method for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in complex milk samples. Effects of the complex matrices on the SPME sampling process and the sampling conditions were investigated. Results showed that short exposure time (pre-equilibrium SPME, PE-SPME) could increase the lifetime of coatings, and the complex matrices in milk samples could significantly influence the sampling kinetics of SPME. In addition, the optimized sampling time, temperature and dilution factor for PAHs were 10 min, 85 °C and 20, respectively. The obtained LODs and LOQs of all the PAHs were 0.1–0.8 ng/mL and 1.4–4.7 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed PE-SPME method for milk sampling was validated by the recoveries of the studied compounds in two concentration levels, which ranged from 75% to 110% for all the compounds. Finally, the proposed method was applied to the screening of PAHs in milk samples.     

Gas chromatographic determination of formaldehyde in air using solid-phase microextraction sampling

Summary The optimization of in situ derivatization and preconcentration of formaldehyde in air using solid phase microextraction with gas chromatographic determination was investigated. A dimethylpolysiloxane coating (7 μm) solid-phase microextraction needle was used in the final procedure as a support for derivatizing reagents such as 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and acetylacetone. Standard concentrations of formaldehyde in air were obtained using a headspace technique and equilibrium concentrations of formaldehyde in air were calculated using Henry's law. After derivatization on the fiber, the derivative was thermally desorbed in the injector of a gas chromatograph and analyzed using an electron capture detector. A detection limit of 0.17 mg m⁻³ was obtained. Calibration was done at 296 K. Reproducibility of the method was 9.6%. Some real air samples were also analyzed. The method is very convenient and ideal for the rapid determination of formaldehyde in air. Presented at: Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 3–5, 1997     

A new interface for coupling solid phase microextraction with liquid chromatography

A modified Rheodyne 7520 microsample injector was used as a new solid phase microextraction (SPME)–liquid chromatography (LC) interface. The modification was focused on the construction of a new sample rotor, which was built by gluing two sample rotors together. The new sample rotor was further reinforced with 3 pieces of stainless steel tubing. The enlarged central flow passage in the new sample rotor was used as a desorption chamber. SPME fiber desorption occurred in static mode. But all desorption solvent in the desorption chamber was injected into LC system with the interface. The analytical performance of the interface was evaluated by SPME–LC analysis of PAHs in water. At least 90% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were desorbed from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/C18 bonded fuse silica fiber in 30 s. And injection was completed in 20 s. About 10–20% total carryovers were found on the fiber and in the interface. The carryover in the interface was eliminated by flushing the desorption chamber with acetonitrile at 1 mL min⁻¹ for 2 min. The repeatability of the method was from 2% to 8%. The limit of detection (LOD) was in the mid pg mL⁻¹ range. The linear ranges were from 0.1 to 100 ng mL⁻¹. The new SPME–LC interface was reliable for coupling SPME with LC for both qualitative and quantitative analysis.     

A solvent-free sampling method for airborne toluene diisocyanate

Summary A useful method of sampling and measurement of toluene diisocyanate concentration in atmosphere is described. The sampler consists of glass-fibre filters impregnated with the reagent 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine¹ so that the 2,4 and 2,6 isomers of TDI react to form urea derivatives which are analysed by high performance liquid chromatography in isocratic mode on cyan-amino and C₁₈ bonded phases. A dynamic system was used to generate standard atmospheres of TDI and to validate the sampling method within the humidity range of 0% to 75%. A coated filter, a bubbling solution and an impregnated silica gel were compared as samplers requiring the piperazine reagent in performance experiments.     

Behaviour of several solid adsorbents for sampling tetraalkyllead compounds in air

The behaviour of various solid adsorbents for collecting tetraalkyllead compounds has been studied. A synthetic atmosphere containing a known concentration of tetraethyllead was produced and the tetraethyllead compound was trapped in a glass tube containing the solid adsorbent. The trapped compound was extracted with hexane in an ultrasonic bath, and the resulting solution was analysed by GC-MS. Porapak and Tenax, with retention efficiencies of 92 and 96%, respectively, were shown to be the more efficient at trapping this alkyllead compound than Chromosorb, active charcoal, Amberlites and polyurethane foam. The behaviour of both Porapak and Tenax for trapping other tetraalkyllead compounds in the presence of gasoline vapour was also studied.     

Optimization of FLEC-SPME for field passive sampling of VOCs emitted from solid building materials

The FLEC^®-SPME sampler, described in a previous paper, consists of an emission cell coupled with solid phase microextraction (SPME) for passive sampling of VOCs emitted from building materials. It represents an interesting alternative to standard dynamic sampling protocol as it is easier to implement. If standard dynamic sampling determines emission rates, passive FLEC^®-SPME aims to the determination of the concentration in air at the material surface. That could be assumed provided that material/air equilibrium is reached. Thus, VOCs emission kinetics were studied for 3 different materials (pine wood panel, carpet and PVC floor) to determine equilibrium times. Then, the relevance of the method has been assessed using new materials through a 3-day emission test. Qualitative results were compared to those obtained from the standard method to check the ability of FLEC^®-SPME to detect the most toxic compounds, named “VOCs of interest” and listed in the French regulation. Minor differences were observed, so this methodology seems promising, especially for field studies aiming in the identification of VOCs sources in buildings. Moreover, the concentration at the material surface combined to emission modeling could be used to predict indoor VOCs concentrations helping in indoor air quality diagnostic.     

Solid phase microextraction/isothermal GC for rapid analysis of complex organic samples

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) was used as the sample introduction technique for high-speed isothermal GC. An injector dedicated for SPME fiber injection was designed and built. The injector was operated in two modes, continuously heated and flash heated. The latter mode proved to be better for high-speed separations. The injector was then used for sample introduction in separation of BTEX. When sampling directly from water with a fiber having a 56 μm thick poly(dimethylsiloxane) coating, the BTEX components were separated under isothermal conditions in ca. 18 s. A fiber with a thinner coating (15 μm) enabled the separation to be completed in ca. 12 s when sampling from headspace. In both cases the results were highly reproducible, as measured by the estimated values of the relative standard deviation.     

Development of a method based on sorbent trapping followed by solid-phase microextraction for the determination of synthetic musks in indoor air

Synthetic musks are extensively used as fragrance components in a wide range of consumer and personal care products such as detergents, shampoos, perfumes and other cosmetic products. Amongst them, galaxolide and tonalide have become ubiquitous pollutants due to their continuous releasing into the environment. Because of their nature as artificial fragrances, inhalation should be considered as an important exposure pathway, especially in indoor environments. However, up to now very few studies have been carried out to determine these emergent pollutants indoors. In this work, a simple and highly sensitive methodology for the analysis of synthetic musk fragrances in indoor air samples is presented. The proposed methodology combines solid-phase extraction (SPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method based on SPME for the analysis of musks in air. By active sampling, musks present in air were adsorbed onto 25mg Tenax and then transferred to a SPME fiber in the headspace mode (HS). An experimental design strategy was used to optimize main factors potentially affecting the microextraction process such as fiber coating, temperature and the addition of a microvolume of organic solvent to the solid sorbent prior to SPME. Breakthrough of the SPE sorbent was studied from 1 to 10m(3) without significant losses. Recovery studies were performed at two concentration levels (2 and 20ngm(-3)), obtaining quantitative recoveries (>/=85%) by external calibration. A comprehensive study was performed in order to estimate the limits of detection taking into account the contamination risks and laboratory blanks. Values at the sub ngm(-3) level were achieved for all the target compounds sampling 5m(3) air. External calibration, not requiring the complete sampling process, demonstrated to be suitable for the quantification of all musk compounds. Finally, several indoor environments were analyzed using the proposed method.     

Research into conditions of quantitivity in the determination of carboniles in complex air matrices by adsorptive solid phase microextraction

This study focuses on certain aspects of the quantitivity of adsorptive solid phase microextraction when applied in the form of on-fibre derivatisation with O-(2,3,4,5,6)-pentafluorobenzyl-hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) for the determination of carboniles in air samples of relevance in the atmosphere. The study was performed in the high-volume outdoor atmospheric simulation chambers (EUPHORE) located in Valencia (Spain). At short sampling times, the adsorption profiles obtained when only benzaldehyde was inserted in the chamber coincided with those obtained when other carbonylic compounds were also introduced at the same concentration, and this was also the case when the concentration of all the gaseous mixture components was increased considerably from one experiment to another. In a number of experiments applying different conditions, it was proven that all the extraction profiles belonged to the same regression when the fibre responses were plotted against the concentration-time product. A number of calibrations were obtained for benzaldehyde introduced in the chamber alone and in a mixture with three other carboniles at similar concentration values. A statistical test is applied to confirm that they all belonged to the same regression since they shared homogeneous variances. After these tests, the method of SPME on-fibre derivatisation for the determination of carboniles was considered to be safely applicable to quantification. Moreover, the concentration levels at which certain unwanted effects, i.e., displacement, saturation and competition, were observed are a few orders of magnitude higher than their occurrence levels in atmospheric processes.     

Silicone glue based solid phase microextraction fiber for amino acid determination

A solid phase microextraction fiber based on high temperature silicone glue coated on a stainless steel wire is presented for use in the extraction of amino acid derivatives. Amino acids were derivatizad using ethyl chloroformate. Effects of the extraction and desorption parameters including extraction and desorption time, desorption temperature and ionic strength on the extraction/desorption efficiency have been studied and quality parameters of the method were measured. A possibility to apply the proposed method for the identification of proteinaceous binders was demonstrated.     

Solid-phase microextraction under controlled agitation conditions for rapid on-site sampling of organic pollutants in water

An electric drill coupled with a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber or a PDMS thin film was used for rapid sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that the sampling rates of SPME fiber and thin film can be predicted theoretically. Compared with the SPME fiber, the PDMS thin film active sampler exhibited a higher sampling rate and much better sensitivity due to its higher surface-to-volume ratio and its larger extraction phase volume. The amount of the analytes extracted by the thin film was around 100 times higher than those obtained by fiber, for both 5 min rapid sampling and equilibrium extraction. A new thin film active sampler was then developed for rapid on-site water sampling. The sampling kit included a portable electric drill, a copper mesh pocket, a piece of thin film, and a liner. Laboratory experiments indicated that the sampling remained in the linear uptake phase with this sampler to 8 min for the PAHs. Field test illustrated that this novel sampler was excellent for rapid on-site water sampling due to its short sampling period, high sampling efficiency and durability The thin film sampling kit facilitates on-site sampling, sample preparation, storage and transport. This new sampler is more user-friendly and easier to commercialize than previous samplers.     

聚酰亚胺/SiO2杂化材料固相微萃取涂层的制备及其应用

本文采用溶胶-凝胶技术制备了PI/SiO2固相微萃取涂层。由均苯四甲酸酐(PMDA)和4,4-二氨基二苯醚(ODA)共聚得到的聚酰胺酸,与四乙氧基硅烷水解产生的羟基进行缩合反应,通过γ-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷偶联剂键合在石英纤维表面,经过高温脱水环化生成聚酰亚胺/二氧化硅复合固相微萃取涂层。通过红外光谱、热重分析、扫描电子显微镜对涂层的结构、热稳定性、表面形貌进行了分析。采用顶空固相微萃取-气相色谱联用法测定了水中的一氯代苯、邻二氯苯、间二氯苯,色谱峰面积与浓度呈良好的线性关系,线性相关系数(r)分别为0.9977、0.9988、0.9985,最低检测限分别为0.08mg/L、0.03mg/L、0.05mg/L,相对标准偏差(n=6)分别为6.34%、4.39%、4.76%。