Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a solventless sampling technique that is easily automated and avoids the inconveniences of solvent-based methods such as liquid/liquid extraction. However, using a standard GC injector for the fiber desorption requires careful optimisation, using a dedicated liner (<1 mm i.d) in conjunction with a high gas flow, in order to obtain optimum chromatography. In MS systems where carrier gas flow is limited, an injector split flow is therefore often used, but this reduces the quantity of analytes reaching the detector, and therefore the sensitivity of the technique.
In this study we demonstrate how the performance of SPME can be enhanced by SPME–trap, whereby conventional SPME is powered by the unique trap-based focusing on the Centri automated multi-mode platform. This focusing trap operates cryogen-free, can contain a variety of sorbents, and using temperatures ranging from ambient to –30°C can efficiently trap VOCs and SVOCs released from a sample. The trap is then ballistically heated (up to 100°C/s) to transfer the analytes to the GC in a small volume of carrier gas (~100 μL), resulting in a tight band of analytes at the head of the column and sharp chromatographic peaks, even using low-split or splitless modes.
App Note 257 published July 2019
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