EPA Method 525.2: Extraction of Semivolatile Organic Compounds from Water Using AutoTrace 280 Solid-Phase Extraction Cartridges

　　Traditionally, semivolatiles in drinking water have been extracted using liquid-liquid extraction techniques such as separatory funnel or continuous liquid-liquid extraction.While these techniques are effective, they use large volumes of organic solvent (up to 300 mL per sample)and require extensive user intervention or monitoring.Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is an alternative accepted extraction technique for USEPA Method 525.2 which uses significantly less solvent (up to 60 mL per sample).The Thermo Scientific Dionex AutoTrace 280 extraction instument offers an automated SPE technique that saves solvent and time, and decreases user intervention thanks to automation.

　　With the Dionex AutoTrace 280™ system, the compounds of interest are trapped on SPE adsorbents, then eluted with liquid solvents to generate an extract that is ready for analysis. The Dionex AutoTrace 280 system saves time, solvent, and labor ensuring high reproducibility and productivity for analytical laboratories. The unit can process up to six samples with minimal operator involvement. The Dionex AutoTrace 280 system uses powerful pumps (no check valves) and a proven positivepressure technology to efficiently process liquid samples.Current analytical methods that may require SPE sample preparation include GC, GC-MS, LC, and LC-MS.

　　This work describes the use of the Dionex AutoTrace 280 instrument for extraction of semivolatile organic compounds from water samples.