Protocol for the development of TFME-GC methods for analyzing multiclass organic constituents in water samples

Abstract

Since being introduced as an alternative to the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber format, thin-film microextraction (TFME) has been employed in various gas and liquid chromatography (GC and LC) applications. TFME solves a number of the analytical challenges related to sample preparation and sample introduction, in addition to allowing the integration of different analytical procedures into one step. The key feature of TFME is its greater extraction phase surface area and volume. These characteristics enable improved extraction kinetics, which in turn increases the amount of analytes that can be extracted. Furthermore, TFME's greater extraction phase surface area and volume provide much higher sensitivity in both the pre-equilibrium and equilibrium extraction regimes while maintaining similar equilibrium times. The protocol presented in this paper provides a detailed sequence of TFME optimization steps that can be applied in the development of TFME-GC methods for water applications.