Alumina-based fiber for solid phase microextraction of alcohols from gaseous samples

On the basis of the affinity of alumina towards hydroxyl functional groups, a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was constructed using alumina powder and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Different compositions were tested and alumina:PVC (97:3) was selected as an optimun composition. A piece of silver wire was used as fiber support. The fiber producing was simple and could be completed in a few minutes. The mechanical durability of the fiber was so good that only a single fiber was used during this study. Ethanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol and cyclohexanol were selected as target analytes. Finally, ethanol concentration in the fruit juices and vinegar was measured using SPME-capillary gas chromatography followed by flame ionization detection.