Enhanced extraction capacity and chemical noise reduction in solid-phase microextraction

Solid-phase microextraction fibres with different lengths, coatings (polydimethylsiloxane, polyacrylate, Carbowax/divinylbenzene), film thicknesses, and mounting techniques were examined in combination with GC-MS with regard to their enhanced extraction capacities and fibre 'bleeding'. A series of phenols and halogenated aromatics with diverse physicochemical properties were investigated to characterize the effects of the enhanced extraction capacities of solid-phase microextraction fibres. Fibre extension was found to be effective for the microextraction of compounds with high log K-ow values, whereas increasing both coating thickness and fibre length is most effective for the microextraction of more polar compounds such as phenols. Almost no bisphenol A was released when custom-made polydimethylsiloxane fibres were used, finally eliminating a drawback of endocrine disrupter analysis by solid-phase microextraction.