A Review of Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) is an extraction technique for enrichment of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds from aqueous and gaseous media. After exposure to a sample, the stir bar, which is covered in a layer of a polysiloxane is subsequently removed and the sorbed compounds are then either thermally desorbed, and analysed by GC-MS or desorbed by means of a liquid, for improved selectivity or for interfacing to an LC system. The technique has been applied successfully to trace analysis in environmental, biomedical and food applications. Applications of SBSE to environmental, foodstuffs and pharmaceutical and biomedical samples are given.