Anodized aluminum wire as a solid-phase microextraction fiber

The efficiency of anodized aluminum wire was investigated as a new fiber for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Aluminum wires were anodized by direct current in a solution of sulfuric acid at room temperature and were conditioned at 300 degrees C for 30 min. These fibers were used for the extraction of some aliphatic alcohols, BTEX, and petroleum products from gaseous samples. The extracted analytes were transferred to a GC injector using an (inhouse-designed) SPME syringe that also allowed for an easy change of SPME fibers. The results obtained prove the ability of anodized aluminum wire as a new fiber for sampling of organic compounds from gaseous samples. This behavior is due most probably to the porous layer of aluminum oxide, which is formed on the metal surfaces. In this work, the optimum conditions for the preparation and conditioning of fibers and the extraction of analytes from gaseous samples were obtained. In the optimum conditions, one fiber was used in several equal analyses and the relative standard deviations were below 5% (n = 5). However, fiber-to-fiber reproducibility was 8% (n = 5). This fiber is firm, inexpensive, and durable and can be prepared simply.