MICROWAVE-ASSISTED EXTRACTION COMBINED WITH GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY AND ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY

This article describes the application of microwave-assisted extractio n (MAE) combined with either gas chromagotraphy-mass spectrometry (GC- MS), gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD), or with e nzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), to the determination of sele cted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticid es (OCPs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil and sediment s amples. These compounds were extracted from Various matrices (e.g., la boratory-spiked soil samples, certified standard reference materials, and samples from a site contaminated with PCBs) with hexane-acetone (1 :1) at 115 degrees C for 10 min using microwave energy. The results pr esented here indicate that these types of compounds can be recovered i n good yields from the matrices investigated. For PCBs, the MAE-ELISA technique appears to be a fast and inexpensive screening and monitorin g method provided that a number of samples are confirmed by GC-ECD.