Trace element speciation using solid phase microextraction

An initial review of research targeting applications of solid phase microextraction for organometallic speciation, published in 2001, encompassed literature from the early days of solid phase microextraction up to June 2000. In this article, the reader will find a compilation and discussion of relevant literature published from June 2000 to December 2004. Because of the maturity of the technique, only a brief overview of the measurement principles is presented. The major thrust of the article highlights applications of solid phase microextraction to the fields of elemental and organometallic analyses. In contrast to the earlier review, applications related to the determination of phosphorus-, sulfur-, bromine-, chlorine- and iodine-containing compounds have also been included for those cases where the target of the determination is the element or a specific molecule containing the element for which atomic spectroscopy has been advocated as a detection technique. Additionally, other microextraction techniques are also considered, including stirbar sorptive extraction and single droplet microextraction.