Liquid-liquid extractions have long been performed manually and are used to extract and concentrate analytes from aqueous matrices. Inclusion of liquid-liquid extraction in many official methods attests to the wide acceptance of the technique. Following solvent extraction it is also common to include an evaporation and reconstitution step to improve detection limits or exchange solvents for compatibility with subsequent chromatographic separations.

Modern analytical labs are looking to automation to help reduce solvent usage and increase sample throughput while ensuring the high quality of the resulting data. An X-Y-Z coordinate autosampler, the GERSTEL MultiPurpose Sampler (MPS), commonly used for sample introduction in GC or HPLC can be used to perform a wide variety of sample preparation techniques using a single instrument and controlling software.