Fizzy extraction

Fizzy extraction is an extraction technique developed by Paweł Urban's group for analysis of semivolatile species dissolved in liquid matrices. It is used to extract semivolatile compounds from liquid samples. Unlike in sparging methods, such as "purge-closed loop", effervescence plays the key role in fizzy extraction. A liquid sample is subjected to a small overpressure (ca. 150 kPa) of a carrier gas (e.g. CO₂) under stirring. An abrupt decompression of the extraction chamber leads to effervescence. The resulting bubbles with volatiles/semivolatiles are liberated into the headspace of the extraction chamber within few seconds, and transferred to an online detector (e.g. mass spectrometer). The advantages of this extraction are speed, simplicity, and operation at low temperature.