Fast and sensitive environmental analysis utilizing microextraction in packed syringe online with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry: Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

A new sensitive, selective, fast and accurate technique for online sample preparation was developed. Microextraction in a packed syringe (MEPS) is a new miniaturised, solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique that can be connected online to GC or LC without any modifications. In MEPS approximately 1 mg of the solid packing material is inserted into a syringe (100–250 ml) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. The bed can be coated to provide selective and suitable sampling conditions. The new method is very promising. It is very easy to use, fully automated, of low cost and rapid in comparison with previously used methods. The determination of polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water was performed using MEPS as sample preparation method online with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (MEPS–GC–MS). The results from MEPS as sample preparation were compared with other techniques such as stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The method was validated and the standard curves were evaluated by the means of quadratic regression and weighted by inverse of the concentration: 1/x for the calibration range 5–1000 ng/L. The MEPS applied polymer (silica-C8) could be used more than 400 times before the syringe was discarded. The extraction recovery was about 70%. The results showed close correlation coefficients (R > 0.998) for all analytes in the calibration range studied. The accuracy of MEPS–GC–MS was between 90 and 113% and the inter-day precision (n = 3 days), expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD%), was 8–16%. MEPS reduced the handling time by 30 and 100 times compared to SPME and SBSE, respectively.