Application of liquid-liquid microextraction techniques for trace level determination of organic/inorganic analytes in biological, medical, environmental and forensic samples

The drawbacks of the conventional liquid-liquid extraction method have been greatly alleviated with the advent of liquid-liquid microextraction methods, which are being actively utilized as effective sample preparation tools for biological, medical, environmental and forensic samples. The complex nature of these sample matrices tend to hinder the accuracy and precision of analytical measurements, and have the potential to cause false positive and false negative results. With sample preparation remaining an integral part of accurate determination of organic and inorganic analytes in complex samples, liquid-liquid microextraction as an efficient sample preparation approach facilitates the acquisition of analytes in final forms that are suitable for modern and classical analytical instruments. The use of very low solvent volumes in liquid-liquid microextraction methods leads to very high enrichment factors, and the availability of different extractants paves way for selective analyte extractions. Recent calls for greener approaches of analysis have been met with the introduction of several green solvents that boost the greenness of liquid-liquid microextraction methods and equally maintain the superiority of the methods.