Hands-on Purge-and-Trap
- Duration: 1 day for live courses
- Experience level: Advanced
- Delivery methods: Face-to-face | Offsite training & consultancy | Onsite training & consultancy | Tailored training |
- Type of course: Universal
- Applicable to manufacturer(s): Agilent | Bruker | CTC analytics | Leco | PerkinElmer | Scion | Shimadzu | Thermo | Varian | Waters |
- CPD Approved: Approved
- Scheduled course price: £650.00 + TAX per delegate
- Course discounts: RSC CAMS HEaTED Cambridge Network members receive a discount on this course
Your Hands-on approach to learning purge & trap
Module 8 of the Hands-on of Sample Preparation course.
Combine the practical theory of purge & trap (P&T) with laboratory-based exercises when attending this Hands-on training course approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for purposes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Apply the knowledge learned in each module through practical exercises involving method development, optimisation, instrument setup, trap selection, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Gain experience of purge and trap workflows, spargers, adsorbent traps, instrumentation, and analytical techniques used to extract and concentrate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from complex sample matrices. This course provides a practical introduction to one of the most sensitive sample preparation techniques used for trace-level volatile analysis.
This Hands-on Purge & Trap course is designed for analysts, scientists, technicians, and laboratory professionals who would like to develop both a practical and theoretical understanding of purge and trap techniques. The course combines extraction theory, trap selection, optimisation, troubleshooting, and real-world applications with laboratory-based exercises that reinforce learning and build confidence.
Why should I join?
On completion of this Hands-on Purge & Trap training, you will have both a strong theoretical understanding and practical experience of developing, performing, optimising, and troubleshooting purge and trap methods.
This Hands-on Purge & Trap course gives you:
- A clear understanding of the principles behind purge and trap extraction and concentration
- Practical experience of designing and performing purge and trap procedures
- How partition coefficients influence on extraction efficiency and sensitivity
- Insight into trap selection and analyte-trap interactions
- Practical guidance on method optimisation using temperature, purge volume, matrix modification, pH adjustment, and salting-out techniques
- Hands-on experience with spargers, traps, and modern purge and trap instrumentation
- Practical troubleshooting techniques for solving common purge and trap problems
- Experience applying purge and trap principles to laboratory exercises
This is your opportunity to develop both the knowledge and practical skills required to confidently apply purge and trap techniques in the laboratory.
Combine other days or modules.
What would I learn?
This course focuses on providing an in-depth understanding of purge & trap combined with practical Hands-on experience. You will learn:
- The principles of purge and trap extraction and concentration
- How volatile analytes partition between sample matrices and the gas phase
- The role of partition coefficients and purge efficiency in method performance
- The differences between fritted sparging, non-fritted sparging, and needle sparging approaches
- How to select suitable trap sorbents for different analytes and applications
- Practical approaches to improving sensitivity using temperature optimisation, salting-out, pH adjustment, co-solvents, and derivatisation
- How purge flow, purge volume, dry purge conditions, and desorption parameters influence extraction performance
- The operation of spargers, traps, transfer lines, valves, and purge and trap autosamplers
- Sample preparation and matrix normalisation strategies for environmental and industrial samples
- Instrument setup, leak testing, maintenance, and performance verification
- Common causes of purge and trap problems and how to troubleshoot them effectively
What knowledge will I gain?
By the end of the course, you will:
- Understand the fundamental principles behind purge and trap extraction and concentration science
- Be able to explain how volatile compounds are purged from sample matrices and trapped for analysis
- Understand how partition coefficients influence extraction recovery and analytical sensitivity
- Know how temperature, pH, sample composition, salting-out, and purge conditions affect analytical performance
- Be familiar with commonly used trap sorbents and their analytical applications.
- Understand the principles of water management, dry purging, thermal desorption, and analyte focusing
- Gain confidence in designing and optimising purge and trap methods for different analytes and sample matrices
- Understand the operation and application of modern purge and trap instrumentation.
- Be able to identify and troubleshoot common issues including poor recovery, carryover, leaks, contamination, trap degradation, foaming samples, and unstable responses
- Understand the importance of calibration standards, internal standards, surrogates, and method quality verification
Is this course for me?
This RSC-approved, for purposes of CPD, Hands-on Purge & Trap training is designed for anyone who wants a practical understanding of purge and trap as a sample preparation technique.
- Laboratory analysts and technicians performing volatile compound analysis and sample preparation procedures.
- Scientists developing analytical methods involving GC and GC-MS.
- Laboratory managers overseeing analytical workflows and VOC testing activities.
- Data analysts and report writers seeking a better understanding of how sample preparation influences analytical results.
- Service engineers supporting purge and trap, chromatography, and related laboratory instrumentation.
- Sales, marketing, and commercial professionals working with analytical instrumentation, automation systems, consumables, or laboratory services.
- Researchers and scientists looking to strengthen their understanding of volatile analysis and laboratory best practice
Course combinations
Can’t attend the full course? No worries, combine days or modules to create training that works best for you. The more days you book the larger the discount.
- For 2 days, pay £1250
- For 3 days, pay £1825
- For 4 days, pay £2350
- For 5 days, pay £2850
Please note, discounts won’t apply when booking but will appear on your invoice.
