A new method is described for determining benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in water that combines solid-phase microextraction and spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. In this method, the BTEX analytes are extracted from the water solution into a solid phase before direct detection by Raman spectroscopy. The solid phase consists of a small volume (ca. 55 mu L) of poly(dimethylsiloxane) which has optical windows in the 750-1300- and 1410-2800-cm(-1) Raman shift regions. The time required for each BTEX compound to reach equilibrium between the solid phase and the aqueous phase is in the range of 16-30 min and affords preconcentration enhancements of 2-3 orders of magnitude. Limits of detection using the most intense Raman bands are in the 1-4-ppm range and produce relative standard deviations of 3-9%. Preliminary application of this new method to the detection of BTEX compounds in real-world water samples shows no significant interferences from river and well water matrices.