LOW-POWER FOCUSED MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY AS A NEW TOOL FOR RAPID PREPARATION OF SOLID SAMPLES FOR SPECIATION ANALYSIS

A new generation of methods for speciation analysis in solid samples, in which the sample throughput is controlled by the duration of the GC run and not by the sample preparation step, is presented. The time ne cessary for the quantitative isolation of the analytes from the sample matrix is reduced from up to 24 h to 3-5 min by the application of fo cused low-power microwave technology. At the same time solvent consump tion is reduced and the analyte recoveries are improved, Two approache s are considered: selective microwave-assisted leaching of the analyte compounds from the matrix and microwave-assisted matrix dissolution; both of them leave the organotin moiety intact, The technique is valid ated by the analysis of environmental certified reference materials. E xamples of microwave-assisted sample preparation for capillary gas chr omatography with quartz furnace atomic absorption spectrometric detect ion, flame photometric detection and microwave-induced plasma atomic e mission detection are given.