Solid phase microextraction coupled to capillary electrophoresis

An on-column interface, coupling the solid phase microextraction (SPME) sampling technique with capillary electrophoresis (CE), has been constructed. This interface facilitates the direct insertion of a thin silica fiber into the inlet end of a separation capillary and, therefore, the zero-dead volume connection requirement for hyphenation between SPME and CE is fully realized. The performance of the interface was evaluated by SPME-CE analysis of the priority pollutant phenols using a laboratory-made 40 mu m od poly(acrylate) (PA)-coated silica fiber connected to a 75 mu m id separation capillary. The results clearly demonstrate that the interface is effective for on-line coupling SPME with CE.