Experimental verification of a model describing solid phase microextraction (SPME) of freely dissolved organic pollutants in sediment porewater.

To verify a theoretical mass balance and multiple compartment partitioning model developed to predict freely dissolved concentrations (FDCs) of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) using negligible depletion-solid phase microextraction (nd-SPME), a series of sediment slurry experiments were performed using disposable poly(dimethyl)siloxane (PDMS) coated-SPME fibers and (14)C-radiolabeled HOC analogs. First, pre-calibration of disposable PDMS coated fibers for four model compounds (phenanthrene, PCB 52, PCB 153 and p,p'-DDE) with good precision (PCB 52>PCB 153, and the measured and predicted C(pw) values were not substantially different from empirically determined values except for p,p'-DDE.