Establishment of long-term preservation for dimethyl sulfide by the solid-phase microextraction method.

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) derived from marine biological activity affects radiative forcing of the climate. The general analytical technique for DMS in seawater (purge and trap analytical method, P&T) is complex onboard ship. Thus it is difficult to obtain sufficient data for a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal variability of DMS in the sea surface layer. On the other hand, a new analytical method for DMS using SPME (solid-phase microextraction) has recently been developed as an alternative method to P&T. This method is simpler than P&T because no special or complex apparatus is needed. If it is possible to preserve DMS for an extended period in excess of the duration of the cruise, the SPME method is a promising method for measuring DMS in seawater. We assessed an analytical method which can allow us to preserve DMS on the long-term scale using SPME. In liquid nitrogen (−196 °C), as preserved environment, for a period of 20 days after sampling, we found the preservation rate of DMS to be 94....