Liquid-phase microextraction – The different principles and configurations

Abstract Liquid-phase microextraction is a miniaturized form of traditional liquid–liquid extraction in which the extracting organic phase is limited to a few microliters for extraction of target analytes. Despite the advantages of solid-phase microextraction, liquid-phase microextraction was also rapidly become a popular method due to its unique characteristics. Different liquid-phase microextraction systems have been introduced in order to simplify the extraction approach, increase the selectivity and sample cleanup, efficiency enhancement and make the extraction of various classes of analytes possible. Herein, different microextraction methods, including single drop microextraction, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, solidified floating organic drop and hollow fiber based liquid-phase microextraction were reviewed and their principles and configurations were compared. This review is mostly focused on the characteristics of present liquid-phase microextraction techniques and compares the efficiencies of these techniques over each other.