title: In situ surface sampling of biological objects and preconcentration of their volatiles for chromatographic analysis.
abstract: This report describes a rolling stir bar sampling procedure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present on various biological surfaces. In combination with thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, this analytical technique was initially tested for quantitative profiling of human skin VOCs. It is also applicable to additional hydrophobic surfaces such as agricultural products, plant materials, and bird feathers. Use of embedded internal standards provides highly reproducible and quantitative results for a wide variety of sampled trace components. The samples of collected human skin VOCs and standards were found stable under cool storage conditions for at least 14 days, making this approach suitable for field biological and agricultural studies. Additionally, this methodology appears to have potential for forensic and toxicological investigations, as suggested through the analyses of VOC profiles of the human thumb prints recovered from a nonbiological smooth surface.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pheromone Research, Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Helena A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Soini
authors.forename: Kevin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Iveta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Klouckova
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Brereton
authors.forename: Dustin J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Penn
authors.forename: Milos V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Novotny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D032083:Citrus paradisi / Q000737:chemistry*; D005241:Feathers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry*; D014835:Volatilization