BayCEER Workshop 2008

ChromatoProbe: A powerful device for qualitative and quantitative analyses of volatile organic compounds

Volatiles emitted by living insects or plants are often studied, and different sampling techniques are available to get samples for GC/MS analyses. Especially static and dynamic headspace methods are commonly used. The most important static method is Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME). However, fibres and field sample kits are expensive, and different fibres are needed depending on the chemical structure of the target analytes. In contrast to the static headspace method, where compounds passively are collected, the compounds emitted from an organism are actively sucked by use of a pump through a filter filled with adsorbent when using dynamic headspace methods (e. g. closed loop stripping analysis, CLSA with charcoal). The advantage of this method is a large enrichment of the analytes on the adsorbents. After sampling the volatiles, the filled glass tubes can either rinsed with solvents to get samples for injection into the GC/MS or undergo a thermal desorption in an instrument connected to the GC/MS. Disadvantages are that the trapped volatiles are strongly diluted when using solvent extraction, or that additional expensive instruments for thermal desorption and sample introduction are needed. Here we present a fast, easy, highly sensitive, easy-to-use in the field, and affordable technique for qualitative and quantitative GC/MS analysis of volatile organic compounds. Volatiles are sampled by dynamic headspace with miniaturized filters, which are subsequently introduced via ChromatoProbe in a GC for thermal desorption.