Progress and future of instrumental analytical chemistry applied to the environment

The recent trends in the development of environmental analysis are reviewed with emphasis on the progress of extraction techniques, of methods of analysis of pesticide residues in food, of the search for chemical and biological agents released into the environment, and of analytical instrumentation. A variety of new sorbents have been synthesized for the extraction and concentration of pollutants, including general purpose adsorbents (e.g., porous polystyrene/divinylbenzene resins) and polymers imprinted for specific compounds. New, faster, more selective and sensitive methods have been developed to improve analytical performance, e.g., synthetic fibers in the air pollution, stirbars coated with polymethylsiloxane. Bidimensional gas chromatography has brought a considerable leap in separation power and sensitivity. Finally the combination of open tubular columns and miniaturized quadrupole mass spectrometer allows the rapid identification of viral agents or a wide variety of chemicals.