Group extraction of organic compounds present in liquid samples

Claim 1

A method of extracting from a liquid sample, consisting of an aqueous liquid in which chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps comprising providng a substantially hollow tube with inlet and outlet openings and a packing zone therebetween, placing a dry, substantially inert, chemically non-reactive packing material which has a large surface area to volume ratio within said packing zone, directing through said open inlet to said packing material said liquid sample, whereby as it comes in contact with said packing material it spreads out as a thin liquid film over the large surface area of said packing material and is held thereon in a stationary state, and rapidly removing said extract directly from said packing material in bulk out of said outlet opening, without selective fractional migration within the packing zone substantially immediately after the time required for an organic solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, to pass through said packing material which is holding said sample as a thin liquid film spread over its large surface area, said step of rapidly removing said extract comprising passing a reagent through said packing material to adjust the pH of said extract in said liquid sample to provide said extract with a partition coefficient value biased very heavily in favor of a solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, relative to said sample, passing said solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample through said packing material, in bulk through said packing material whereby it will exit said outlet opening carrying said extract therewith.

Claim 2

A method of extracting from a liquid sample, consisting of an aqueous liquid in which chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps comprising providng a substantially hollow tube with inlet and outlet openings and a packing zone therebetween, placing a dry, substantially inert, chemically non-reactive packing material which has a large surface area to volume ratio within said packing zone, directing through said open inlet to said packing material said liquid sample, whereby as it comes in contact with said packing material it spreads out as a thin liquid film over the large surface area of said packing material and is held thereon in a stationary state, and rapidly removing said extract directly from said packing material in bulk out of said outlet opening, without selective fractional migration within the packing zone substantially immediately after the time required for an organic solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, to pass through said packing material which is holding said sample as a thin liquid film spread over its large surface area, said step of rapidly removing said extract comprising passing a reagent through said packing material to adjust the pH of said extract in said liquid sample to provide said extract with a partition coefficient value biased very heavily in favor of a solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, relative to said sample, passing said solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample through said packing material, in bulk through said packing material whereby it will exit said outlet opening carrying said extract therewith.

Claim 7

A method of directly extracting from the liquid sample, consisting of an aqueous liquid in which organic chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps comsisting of providing a substantially hollow tube with inlet and outlet openings and a packing zone therebetween, placing in said packing zone a dry, substantially inert, non-reactive fibrous packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, applying said liquid sample to said fibrous packing material to spread said liquid sample as a thin liquid film over the large surface area of said fibrous packing material, to be held thereon in a stationary state, and removing an extract from said packing zone directly, in bulk, and without selective fractional migration within said packing zone, substantially immediately after the interval required for a solvent immiscible in the liquid in said sample, to traverse through said packing material over which said thin liquid film is held, comprising passing through said packing material selected reagents and in bulk at least one organic solvent which is immiscible in the aqueous liquid of said sample, said reagent adjusting the pH of said sample to a value at which the part ion coefficients of all of the organic compounds of said sample, belonging to said selected family, become heavily biased in favor of said organic solvent, relative to said aqueous liquid, whereby said selected family of compounds becomes dissolved in said organic solvent and pass out of said packing zone therewith.

Claim 8

A method of directly extracting from the liquid sample, consisting of an aqueous liquid in which organic chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps comsisting of providing a substantially hollow tube with inlet and outlet openings and a packing zone therebetween, placing in said packing zone a dry, substantially inert, non-reactive fibrous packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, applying said liquid sample to said fibrous packing material to spread said liquid sample as a thin liquid film over the large surface area of said fibrous packing material, to be held thereon in a stationary state, and removing an extract from said packing zone directly, in bulk, and without selective fractional migration within said packing zone, substantially immediately after the interval required for a solvent immiscible in the liquid in said sample, to traverse through said packing material over which said thin liquid film is held, comprising passing through said packing material selected reagents and in bulk at least one organic solvent which is immiscible in the aqueous liquid of said sample, said reagent adjusting the pH of said sample to a value at which the part ion coefficients of all of the organic compounds of said sample, belonging to said selected family, become heavily biased in favor of said organic solvent, relative to said aqueous liquid, whereby said selected family of compounds becomes dissolved in said organic solvent and pass out of said packing zone therewith.

Claim 11

A method of extracting from a liquid sample consisting of an aqueous in which chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps of comprising establishing a packing zone in a substantially hollow tube having an input opening and an output opening on opposite ends thereof, packing said packing zone with a dry, chemically inert, packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, applying all of said liquid sample to through said input opening to said packing material to physically hold said liquid sample spread as a thin liquid film in a stationary phase over the large surface area of said material, and removing said extract directly from all of said packing material, in bulk, out of said output opening and without selective fractional migration within said packing zone, substantially immediately after the time required for a solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, to traverse said packing material over which said liquid film is held, said step of removing said extract from said packing material comprising passing in bulk through said packing material a solvent system including an organic solvent which is immiscible in the liquid of said sample, and a reagent for adjusting the pH of said extract to a value at which the partition coefficient of said extract is so heavily biased in favor of said immiscible solvent that it moves out of solution in said liquid sample and into solution with said solvent, whereby said solvent system passes through and out of said packing zone substantially immediately after traversing the packing material holding said liquid film, removing said extract therewith leaving the remainder of said sample spread as a thin liquid film over the surface area of said packing material.

Claim 12

A method of extracting from a liquid sample consisting of an aqueous in which chemical compounds are contained, an extract, comprising a selected family of said compounds, the steps of comprising establishing a packing zone in a substantially hollow tube having an input opening and an output opening on opposite ends thereof, packing said packing zone with a dry, chemically inert, packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, applying all of said liquid sample to through said input opening to said packing material to physically hold said liquid sample spread as a thin liquid film in a stationary phase over the large surface area of said material, and removing said extract directly from all of said packing material, in bulk, out of said output opening and without selective fractional migration within said packing zone, substantially immediately after the time required for a solvent, which is immiscible with the liquid of said sample, to traverse said packing material over which said liquid film is held, said step of removing said extract from said packing material comprising passing in bulk through said packing material a solvent system including an organic solvent which is immiscible in the liquid of said sample, and a reagent for adjusting the pH of said extract to a value at which the partition coefficient of said extract is so heavily biased in favor of said immiscible solvent that it moves out of solution in said liquid sample and into solution with said solvent, whereby said solvent system passes through and out of said packing zone substantially immediately after traversing the packing material holding said liquid film, removing said extract therewith leaving the remainder of said sample spread as a thin liquid film over the surface area of said packing material.

Claim 13

A method of successively extracting from a sample, comprising an aqueous liquid containing different families of chemical compounds, different extracts, each extract including a selected family of said compounds, the steps consisting of providing a substantially hollow tube having an upper inlet end and an opposite outlet end and a packing zone therebetween which is packed with a dry inert chemically non-reactive packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, pouring said sample into said tube through said inlet and onto said packing material, whereby said sample spreads over the large surface area of said packing material is physically held thereon in a stationary state, successively removing different extracts in bulk, directly from said packing material and out of the outlet end of said tube, without selective fractional migration within the packing zone, substantially immediately after the interval required for a solvent for a particular extract which is immiscible with the liquid of the sample, to travel through the region of said packing material over which said thin liquid film is held, comprising successively passing through said packing material, for each extract to be removed, a selected reagent and in bulk an organic solvent which is immiscible in the aqueous liquid of said sample, said selected reagent adjusting the pH of each extract to a value so that the partition coefficient of all of the compounds within a family which is to be removed, are biased heavily in favor of said immiscible solvent relative to the bias to said aqueous liquid and become dissolved in said organic solvent, whereby each successively added organic solvent, together with the extract dissolved therein passes through said packing zone and out of said inlet end of said tube in bulk, leaving the remainder of said liquid sample dispersed as a thin liquid film on said packing material.

Claim 14

A method of successively extracting from a sample, comprising an aqueous liquid containing different families of chemical compounds, different extracts, each extract including a selected family of said compounds, the steps consisting of providing a substantially hollow tube having an upper inlet end and an opposite outlet end and a packing zone therebetween which is packed with a dry inert chemically non-reactive packing material having a large surface area to volume ratio, pouring said sample into said tube through said inlet and onto said packing material, whereby said sample spreads over the large surface area of said packing material is physically held thereon in a stationary state, successively removing different extracts in bulk, directly from said packing material and out of the outlet end of said tube, without selective fractional migration within the packing zone, substantially immediately after the interval required for a solvent for a particular extract which is immiscible with the liquid of the sample, to travel through the region of said packing material over which said thin liquid film is held, comprising successively passing through said packing material, for each extract to be removed, a selected reagent and in bulk an organic solvent which is immiscible in the aqueous liquid of said sample, said selected reagent adjusting the pH of each extract to a value so that the partition coefficient of all of the compounds within a family which is to be removed, are biased heavily in favor of said immiscible solvent relative to the bias to said aqueous liquid and become dissolved in said organic solvent, whereby each successively added organic solvent, together with the extract dissolved therein passes through said packing zone and out of said inlet end of said tube in bulk, leaving the remainder of said liquid sample dispersed as a thin liquid film on said packing material.