SummaryMany solvent extracts must be concentrated prior to analysis. Both Kuderna-Danish (K-D) concentration and inert gas blowdown are commonly used. Significant losses often occur with the latter. Solvent removaVthermal desorption (SRTD) on a precolumn was investigated here as an alternative or supplement to these methods. The compounds studied included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs).SRTD wascarriedout by injecting 100pLofextractintoa cartridge-type precolumn, selectively volatilizing the solvent with a stream of carrier gas, then thermally desorbing the analytes to a fused silica capillary gas chromatography (GC) column. The mean total recoveries and mean standard errors obtained were 109 and t 12%, respectively. SRTD was found to give sharper peaks than were obtainable with on-column injection. Method detection limits accessible for PCBs by capillary GC with electron impact mass spectrometry with the assistance of SRTD were estimated. Overall, SRTD was found to be an effective, rapid, high recovery concentration method for solvent extracts.