Dr. Emanuela Gionfriddo

Microextraction: a versatile asset in the analytical toolbox for characterization of complex systems

Presenting Friday 5/26 in NSC 201 from 11:30 – 12:45 pm 

The separation of small molecules from complex samples often poses the ultimate challenge to any analytical method development process, whether for targeted or non-targeted analysis.

Moreover, trends in the development of new microseparation techniques for extraction of small molecules have recently shifted toward greener and faster approaches, guaranteeing sustainability and high throughput of the extraction process. Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) complies with all the features above and provides simultaneous extraction/enrichment of the targeted analytes.

This seminar will discuss new microextraction methodologies to probe the chemical composition of environmental and biological samples, and to assess the partition of small molecules in heterogeneous systems. Various classes of environmental contaminants, namely PFAS, pesticides and pharmaceuticals were targeted in our work, and specialized extraction technologies were developed to guarantee their selective extraction and preconcentration from complex samples prior to analysis by gas-, liquid-chromatography and direct introduction to mass spectrometry. These methods become critical to assessing pollutants' environmental mobility and routes of exposure for living systems. 

The use of biocompatible extraction phases and alternative SPME geometries will be also discussed to address specific analytical needs and guarantee minimal disturbance of partition equilibria during the extraction process.