Microwave extraction in analytical chemistry of pollutants: Polychlorinated biphenyls

Abstract

Abstract The microwave energy produced by a high intensity microwave oven was used to extract polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) from water samples. This static method was compared with liquid‐liquid extraction to determine the optimum and limiting conditions in extraction processes. The sample size and sample container shape determine the temperature profiles in the sample. Using a 500 mL sample size, the detection limit is in the low ng/L range when an electron capture detector is employed.