Method and apparatus for trace sample collection.

摘要

A disposable plastic cartridge (54) contains three fine lightweight wire mesh collectors (84-1, 84-2, 84-3), each of phosphor bronze. One collector has an oxidized surface for collecting drug particulates. The other two have surfaces electro­plated with zinc to form a rough multi-fissured surface for trapping low volatility vapours. In use, a portion of a warm sample air stream is chilled and passed through the collectors in parallel for sample collection. Simultaneously part of the sample air stream by-passes the chiller (18) and is fed directly into a mass analyzer (50) for real time analysis. Next, both collection and real time analysis are terminated, and each collector is desorbed in sequence with a pulse of hot air which flows into the mass analyzer for sequential analysis.