You may be familiar with the mantra “rubbish in, rubbish out”. Do not settle for putting rubbish into your analytical system, instead, take time to select the correct sample preparation technique for your sample and analytical needs, make some effort in optimizing the protocol, and look out for any problems that may arise. We will look at some of the most common sample preparation techniques and discuss how to select the appropriate one for you. We will then discuss what can go wrong during sample preparation and how you can either avoid these issues in the future or how to remedy them if they appear.

Topics include:

• Filtration
• Selecting the correct filter membrane
• Avoiding unwanted analyte/membrane interactions
• Matching filter dimensions to sample volume
• Liquid/liquid extraction (LLE)
• Improving quantitation
• Treating emulsions
• Acid/base/neutral extractions - where’s the analyte?
• Supported liquid extraction (SLE)
• The easy solution to extracting analytes from biological matrices and avoiding emulsions?
• Solid phase extraction (SPE)
• Dealing with low recovery
• Managing problem matrices (oils, fats, high salt content, proteins etc.)