title: Moving your laboratories to the field--Advantages and limitations of the use of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis.
abstract: The recent rapid progress in technology of field portable instruments has increased their applications in environmental sample analysis. These instruments offer a possibility of cost-effective, non-destructive, real-time, direct, on-site measurements of a wide range of both inorganic and organic analytes in gaseous, liquid and solid samples. Some of them do not require the use of reagents and do not produce any analytical waste. All these features contribute to the greenness of field portable techniques. Several stationary analytical instruments have their portable versions. The most popular ones include: gas chromatographs with different detectors (mass spectrometer (MS), flame ionization detector, photoionization detector), ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared spectrophotometers, X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, ion mobility spectrometers, electronic noses and electronic tongues. The use of portable instruments in environmental sample analysis gives a possibility of on-site screening and a subsequent selection of samples for routine laboratory analyses. They are also very useful in situations that require an emergency response and for process monitoring applications. However, quantification of results is still problematic in many cases. The other disadvantages include: higher detection limits and lower sensitivity than these obtained in laboratory conditions, a strong influence of environmental factors on the instrument performance and a high possibility of sample contamination in the field. This paper reviews recent applications of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis and discusses their analytical capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Geochemistry and the Environment Division, Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University, 15G Świętokrzyska St., 25-406 Kielce, Poland. Electronic address: Agnieszka.Galuszka@ujk.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gałuszka
authors.affiliation: Geochemistry and the Environment Division, Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University, 15G Świętokrzyska St., 25-406 Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Zdzisław M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Migaszewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Faculty, Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT), 11/12 G. Narutowicz St., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Namieśnik
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D007753:Laboratories; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
keywords: Analytical performance; Environmental samples; Field methods; Green analytical chemistry; Portable instruments