However, some papers indicate that this method has some advantages.
In an article published in 1995, scientists from Universidad de Sevilla included
the results of an efficiency comparison between distillation and
a head-space technique known as the carbon strip method [10]. Distillation
was carried out in the following way: samples were placed in a round-bottomed
flask together with sufficient water to cover them and 1 cm3 of extraction
agent – n-hexane. The flask was attached to an appropriate column and
extraction was performed for 4–6 hours. It was ascertained that steam distillation
allows isolation from the matrix of a greater number of analytes
than adsorption – from compounds with a low boiling point, through aromatic
compounds characteristic for petrol, to large chain compounds characteristic
for oils. The authors of the publication stated that the carbon strip
adsorption method does not allow particles with high boiling points to be recovered.
This creates a risk of incorrect identification of accelerants, espe-
46 R. Borusiewicz
cially those in the oil category. The scientists from Universidad de Sevilla
say that although steam distillation is more laborious and time-consuming,
it is more effective than the carbon strip method.