SLE
Definition
Supported liquid extraction. Diatomaceous earth columns absorb the aqueous sample as a thin film and a single pass of organic solvent elutes the analyte. Single-pass replacement for shake-flask liquid-liquid.
- Full name
- Supported liquid extraction
- Support medium
- Diatomaceous earth column
- Loading step
- Aqueous sample absorbed as a thin film
- Elution
- Single pass of organic solvent
Common questions
Why is SLE preferred over classic liquid-liquid extraction?+
It avoids the emulsions that shake-flask liquid-liquid extraction can form, and needs only one solvent pass, cutting solvent volume and analyst hands-on time in a toxicology workflow.
What sample types is SLE typically used for?+
Aqueous extracts from biological matrices such as viscera homogenates in postmortem toxicology, prior to instrumental analysis of the isolated poisons.
Related terms
- ASE
- Accelerated solvent extraction (Dionex ASE). Pressurised solvent at elevated temperature pushes the analyte off the tissue matrix in minutes, replacing overnight Soxhlet.
- Conway Microdiffusion Cell
- A two-compartment glass or ceramic dish with a central well and an outer ring, sealed at the rim. The poison is released...
- QuEChERS
- Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe sample-prep protocol for pesticide residues. Acetonitrile extraction, MgSO4 + NaCl partition, dispersive SPE clean-up with...
- SPE
- Solid-phase extraction. Sample is loaded onto a packed sorbent cartridge (C18, mixed-mode MCX/MAX, polymeric Oasis HLB), washed and selectively eluted. The dominant...
- SPME
- Solid-phase microextraction. A polymer-coated fused-silica fibre (typically PDMS or PDMS-DVB) is exposed to vial headspace, then thermally desorbed in the GC injector....
- Stas-Otto Procedure
- Classical 1851/1856 acid-base liquid-liquid fractionation. Acidify with tartaric acid and extract acidic and neutral organics into ether, then alkalise and extract bases...
- Steam Distillation
- Passing live steam through a sample so that volatile organic compounds co-distil with water at a temperature below their own boiling point....
- Viscera
- The standard set of organs and fluids collected at a suspected poisoning autopsy in India: stomach with contents, a length of upper...