A process for carrying out collection of analyte, for the purpose of effecting qualitative and quantitative analysis of a volatile analyte composition releasably bonded to a substantially pliable porous substrate having an inner vertically-positioned surface and an outer vertically-positioned surface, said substrate being porous to the passage of a carrier gas and being fixedly retained by a rigid framing retaining means, as a vertically positioned substantially planar lamina, consisting essentially of the steps of:
- (a) providing apparatus consisting essentially of:
- i. vertically-positioned rotational shaft means having an upper end section, a middle section, a lower end section, and a vertically-disposed shaft means axis;
- ii. vertically-positioned framing retaining means connected to said lower end section of said rotational shaft means;
- iii. hollow substantially air-tight enclosure means surrounding a void space, supported on a horizontally-disposed supporting means, and having a horizontally-disposed lid, a vertically-positioned cylindrical wall circumventing and extending upwardly from said horizontally-disposed supporting means and downwardly from the circumference of said horizontally-disposed lid, a vertical enclosure means axis, carrier gas exit port means therethrough, carrier gas first entry port means therethrough, gas-impermeable second entry port means therethrough located at the intersection of said vertical enclosure means axis and said lid for sealably holding in place said rotational shaft means at its middle section with the vertically-disposed shaft means axis of said rotational shaft means being coincident with said vertical enclosure means axis and sealably extending through said second entry port means into said void space and with said vertically-positioned framing retaining means being supported by and attached to said rotational shaft means located at the lower end section of said rotational shaft means, for retaining said pliable porous substrate;
- iv. attachment means for attaching said pliable porous substrate to said framing retaining means;
- v. rotational motor means attached to the upper end section of said rotational shaft means for causing said rotational shaft means to rotate about said vertically-disposed shaft means axis when said apparatus is in operation;
- vi. analyte collection means located downstream from said hollow enclosure means and communicating with said exit port means thereof, consisting essentially of tube trapping means whereby analyte mixture components emitted from said pliable porous substrate during gas flow therethrough are entrapped in said tube trapping means;
- and
- vii. upstream from said hollow enclosure means or downstream from said analyte collection means, gas flow effecting means for effecting the flow of gas sequentially (I) from a location upstream from said first entry port means;
- (II) through said first entry port means;
- (III) into said hollow enclosure means in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of said porous substrate located on and attached to said framing retaining means;
- (IV) onto the inner surface of said porous substrate;
- (V) through said porous substrate, exiting from said outer surface thereof;
- (VI) through said exit port means of said hollow enclosure means and (VII) into and through said analyte collection means;
- (b) providing said porous substrate and attaching said porous substrate via said attachment means to said framing retaining means;
- (c) engaging said rotational motor means;
- (d) simultaneously with the engagement of said rotational motor means, upstream from said hollow enclosure means or downstream from said analyte collection means effecting the flow of carrier gas sequentially (I) from a location upstream from said first entry port means;
- (II) through said first entry port means;
- (III) into said hollow enclosure means in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of said porous substrate located on and attached to said framing retaining means;
- (IV) onto the inner surface of said porous substrate;
- (V) through said porous substrate, exiting from said outer surface thereof;
- (VI) through said exit port means of said hollow enclosure means and (VII) into and through said analyte collection means
- whereby volatile substance components emitted from said porous substrate are trapped in said analyte collection means.