Sample Preparation

Researchers from Sao Cristovao and Salvador, Brazil employed a solid-phase microextraction (SPME-headspace gas chromatography (GC) method to analyze benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in water released from a waste treatment plant.

Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine and University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) developed a selective method for analyzing a compound in corn, deoxynivalenol, based on immuno-ultrafiltration.

Chemists from Normal University and Wuhan University (both Wuhan, China) used an improved liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction method in the analysis of four phenolic compounds in water.

Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Leipzig, Germany) used the Chemcatcher aquatic passive sampling device to collect samples from a 1-day pulse contamination with the pesticide thiacloprid.

Scientists from the USDA';s Eastern Regional Research Center (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) analyzed 11 beta-lactam antibiotics in bovine kidney using a sample preparation method consisting of an acetonitrile-water extraction followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction with a C18 sorbent, extract concentration, and filtration with syringeless filter vials.

A research group at Lund University (Lund, Sweden) fused a multifunctional peptide tag to the N-terminal ends of green fluorescent protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and human hemoglobin in preparation for separation via ion-exchange chromatography, immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography.

Researchers from Waterloo University (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) developed a fast method for extracting and analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and disinfection by-products in drinking water.

Chemists from Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) used a headspace sorptive extraction technique based on a coated glass bar to determine volatile organic sulfur compounds in water.

Researchers at the University of Cordoba (Cordoba, Spain) used dynamic liquid-phase microextraction with an ionic liquid as the acceptor phase to extract six nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from human urine samples.

Researchers from Soochow University (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China) applied an in-syringe liquid-liquid microextraction technique to prepare a clenbuterol sample for analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

A research group from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) has used solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to determine the mycotoxin ochratoxin A in human urine.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (Roorkee, India) prepared chiral dichloro- and monochloro s-triazines by nucleophilic displacement of chlorine atoms in s-triazine chloride and its 6-methoxy derivative with various amino acid amides.

Analysts from the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Cordoba (Cordoba, Spain) used ionic liquid-based, single-drop microextraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection to analyze benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX) in water.

Researchers from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan) used headspace sampling with gas chromatography to analyze the concentration and identity of compounds in the vapor above six ionic liquids at a temperature of 100 ?C.

Chemists from the University of Cordoba (Cordoba, Spain) used a continuous ultrasound-assisted approach to extract nine haloacetic acids from vegetables and conversion to methyl esters for gas chromatography (GC) analysis.

Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada) and McGill University (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada) used headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in conjunction with gas chromatography?mass spectrometry (GC?MS) to measure flavor compounds in commercial cheddar cheese and enzyme-modified cheddar cheese.

A research group at the University of Oslo (Oslo, Norway) developed a method for electromembrane extraction of eight peptides from an aqueous acidic solution using a thin supported liquid membrane in a porous hollow fiber.

Horizon Technology (Salem, New Hampshire), a manufacturer of automated sample preparation equipment, has announced that it has partnered with the Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association to promote World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) 2008.

Researchers from the University of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain) analyzed heterocyclic amines in meat samples using pressurized liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC?MS-MS).

Researchers from Fourth Military Medical University (Shanxi, China) have developed a method for separating and determining hydrophobic compounds in Cnidium monnieri, an herbal remedy.

Workers at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) combined a needle trap device and a dynamic headspace method to sample an aqueous BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and p-xylene) mixture.

A group of researchers from Universita degli Studi di Parma (Parma, Italy) developed sol-gel?synthesized coatings for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers for analyzing trace-level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water.

Researchers from the UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Leipzig, Germany) used an accelerated membrane-assisted cleanup technique for the analysis of organic compounds in lipid-rich biological samples.

A research group from Soochow University (Taipei, Taiwan) have used a dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction technique in conjunction with an in-syringe back-extraction method to extract a polar organic compound from an aqueous sample before liquid chromatography (LC) analysis.

Researchers from Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and Nanjing University (Nanjing, China) have proposed the use of polythiophene as a coating for a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device.

Millipore Inc. (Billerica, Massachusetts), manufacturer of sample preparation products for applications such as gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, environmental monitoring, food and beverage analysis, and pharmaceutical product analysis, announced a global Sustainability Initiative that outlines the company?s plans to reduce its environmental impacts and carbon footprint by 20% over the next five years.

Gilson, Inc. (Middleton, Wisconsin), has opened the Gilson Service Center of Excellence, designed for pipette repair, calibration, and certification for pipette customers in the U.S.

Spark Holland B.V. (Emmen, The Netherlands), manufacturer of equipment for sample introduction, solid-phase extraction, and other separation technology for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, has announced a change in management.

Researchers at the Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia) Department of Chemistry have used supercritical fluid extraction with methanol-modified carbon dioxide to separate polar lipid fractions from crude soybean lecithin.

The current issue (2008.1) of Restek?s e-newsletter, ?The Restek Buzz,? includes an article that summarizes the key advantages of thermal desorption versus solvent extraction in air monitoring applications.