SPE Mechanism Selection

We have previously looked at analyte assessment for solid phase extraction (SPE), which is the first step in developing an SPE protocol. This involved understanding the analyte chemistry based on the functional groups contained in the molecule - this will affect many of the physical properties of the molecule including solubility and molecular interactions between the analyte, sorbent, and any other matrix components in the sample. The next step is to select the correct retention mechanism which will be the focus of this article.