Patent ID: 7950270

Claim:
A method comprising enclosing a soil sample in a first container that is impermeable to moisture and permeable to a volatile analyte; arranging the first container in a second container that is filled with ambient air; allowing an equilibrium concentration of the volatile analyte to be established between the soil sample and the ambient air; purging a mass-sensitive sensor with ambient air; subsequently, bringing the ambient air into contact with the mass-sensitive sensor comprising at least one sensor area equipped with a surface layer having selective sensitivity for the volatile analyte; detecting a mass change on the surface layer in the form of an electrical signal from the mass-sensitive sensor after a predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period of time is less than an elapsed time for a calibration electrical signal from the mass-sensitive sensor to reach a maximum intensity upon exposure to the volatile analyte during a calibration; and calculating a concentration of the volatile analyte in the ambient air based on the electrical signal and a calibration measurement.