Solvent extraction of PDMS tubing as a new method for the capture of volatile organic compounds from headspace

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Thomas, G., Caulfield, J. C., Nikolaeva-Reynolds, L.R., Birkett, M. A. and Vuts, J. 2024. Solvent extraction of PDMS tubing as a new method for the capture of volatile organic compounds from headspace. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 50, pp. 85-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-024-01469-y

AuthorsThomas, G., Caulfield, J. C., Nikolaeva-Reynolds, L.R., Birkett, M. A. and Vuts, J.
Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) tubing is increasingly being used to collect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from static biological headspace. However, analysis of VOCs collected using PDMS tubing often deploys thermal desorption, where samples are considered as ‘one-offs’ and cannot be used in multiple experiments. In this study, we developed a static headspace VOC collection method using PDMS tubing which is solvent-based, meaning that VOC extracts can be used multiple times and can be linked to biological activity. Using a synthetic blend containing a range of known semiochemicals (allyl isothiocyanate, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octen-3-one, nonanal, (E)-anethol, (S)-bornyl acetate, (E)-caryophyllene and pentadecane) with differing chemical and physicochemical properties, VOCs were collected in static headspace by exposure to PDMS tubing with differing doses, sampling times and lengths. In a second experiment, VOCs from oranges were collected using PDMS sampling of static headspace versus dynamic headspace collection. VOCs were eluted with diethyl ether and analysed using gas chromatography – flame ionization detector analysis and coupled GC – mass spectrometry analysis. GC-FID analysis of collected samples showed that longer PDMS tubes captured significantly greater quantities of compounds than shorter tubes, and that sampling duration significantly altered the recovery of all tested compounds. Moreover, greater quantities of compounds were recovered from closed compared to open systems. Finally, analysis of orange headspace VOCs showed only a few qualitative differences in VOCs recovered compared to dynamic headspace collections, although quantities sampled using PDMS tubing were lower. In summary, extraction of PDMS tubing with diethyl ether solvent captures VOCs from the headspace of synthetic blends and biological samples, and the resulting extracts can be used for multiple experiments linking VOC content to biological activity.

KeywordsHeadspace sampling; PDMS; Semiochemical; Volatile; Solvent extract; Silicon; Polydimethylsiloxane
Year of Publication2024
JournalJournal of Chemical Ecology
Journal citation50, pp. 85-99
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-024-01469-y
Web address (URL)https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10886-024-01469-y
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeGrowing Health [ISP]
BBSRC Strategic Programme in Smart Crop Protection
Growing Health (WP1) - bio-inspired solutions for healthier agroecosystems: Understanding biointeractions
Publisher's version
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online22 Jan 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted13 Jan 2024
PublisherSpringer
ISSN0098-0331

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