Stir-bar sorptive extraction: 15 years making sample preparation more environment-friendly

The first scientific article on stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) was published 15 years ago and, since then, several improvements and hundreds of applications in almost all scientific areas have been published. Since the very beginning, one of the most interesting features of this analytical tool is that complies with the requirements of the Green Analytical Chemistry principles. As a consolidated sample-preparation approach, SBSE has shown great capacity for static microextraction and outstanding performance in operating at the ultra-trace level, particularly if complex systems are involved. Also, SBSE is very effective, is more easily manipulated than other techniques, and shows great reproducibility mainly for the analysis of priority and emerging organic compounds. This contribution describes advancements in SBSE in the past 15 years, accounting for its progression as an environment-friendly technique.