Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

Course manual 2024/2025

Course content

This course offers an introduction to the chemistry and toxicology of chemical environmental pollution, one of the hallmarks of the Anthropocene.  Topics include:

• Techniques to detect and quantify chemical pollutants in soil, sediment, water and biota
• Sources and emissions
• Transport and distribution
• Partitioning of chemicals between environmental compartments (water, air, soil, biota)
• Bioaccumulation, biotransformation in living organisms and (bio)degradation processes
• Adverse effects, bioassays and effect directed analysis
• Environmental risk assessment of chemicals
• Elementary systems thinking in environmental chemistry problem-solving

Background:

In our modern society, we are constantly surrounded by an extensive array of chemicals, encompassing a diverse range of applications and functions. Among these are chemicals known for their impact on the environment and human health, such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), pesticides, microplastics, and countless others. With growing awareness and concern about their presence and impact, these pollutants are nowadays a focus of attention of scientific research and public debate.

As these chemicals infiltrate our surroundings, they navigate through various pathways, penetrating ecosystems, food chains, and ultimately, organisms, including humans. The consequences of their presence can be profound, exerting adverse effects on both environmental and human health.

This course offers an introduction to the chemistry and toxicology of environmental polluting chemicals and the chemical analyses of different types of environmental pollutants in a variety of environmental and biological compartments.

The course will first focus on the behaviour of chemical pollutants. Where will the chemicals end up, do they bioaccumulate or biotransform in living organisms and what are the (bio)degradation processes?

Subsequently, the course will focus on the environmental risk assessment of chemicals, on adverse effects of environmental pollutants, and on bioassays and effect-directed analysis.

Lastly, it covers methodologies for detecting and quantifying chemical pollutants in soil, sediment, water, and biota.

At the end of the course, all topics will be combined and integrated into the environmental assessment of a selected chemical pollutant.

Study materials

Literature

• Free online textbook available via this link:  https://maken.wikiwijs.nl/147644/Environmental_Toxicology__an_open_online_textbook (Links to an external site.)

• R.P. Schwarzenbach, P.M. Gschwend & D.M. Imboden, Environmental Organic Chemistry, Third Edition, Wiley, 2017, ISBN 978-1-118-76723-8 (suggested for fans of environmental organic chemistry)

Syllabus

• Syllabus for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

Objectives

• The student is able to recognize key pollutants, their sources, their distribution and fate in the environment.
• The student is able to describe contemporary approaches to determine environmental pollutants in relevant environmental compartments.
• The student is able to interpret quantitative information on the effects of pollutants on organisms.
• The student is able to assess the environmental risks of chemicals.
• The student is able to demonstrate the role of systems thinking in environmental chemistry problem-solving.
• The student is able to formulate the environmental risk of a chemical in a poster and an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Self-study
• Presentation/symposium
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis

This course consists mainly of lectures (6 hours a week) with a working group devoted to exercises using partitioning coefficients to calculate the distribution of chemicals between environmental compartments. The course includes an assignment and  an oral presentation of the results of this assignment in a poster format and an oral presentation.  Several hours a day self-study.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• Active participation is expected of each student in the course for which he is registered.
• If a student cannot attend an obligatory part of a programme's component due to circumstances beyond his control, he must report in writing to the teacher in question as soon as possible. The teacher, if necessary after consulting the study adviser, may decide to issue the student a replacing assignment.
• It is not allowed to miss obligatory parts of the programme's component if there is no case of circumstances beyond one's control.
• In case of participating qualitatively or quantitatively insufficiently, the examiner can expel a student from further participation in the programme's component or a part of that component. Conditions for sufficient participation are fixed in advance in the study guide and/or on Canvas.

Assessment

The final grade is calculated from the grade of the exam (67%), assignment poster (25%), and oral presentation (8%). The minimum grade for the exam has to be 5.0. The minimum grade for the poster has to be a 6.0. If resubmission of the report or poster is needed a maximum grade of 6.0 will be assigned.

Assignments

The assignment consists of an independent assessment of the environmental risks of a chemical based on information
retrieved from the literature. The assessment should include the following information on the selected chemical:
• Sources and emissions
• Most relevant environmental compartment
• Methods to analyse the chemical in this compartment
• Predicted or measured concentrations in this compartment
• Toxicity for organisms in this compartment
• Risks for organisms in this compartment based on a comparison of concentration and toxicity
Results and conclusions of the assessment are reported in a poster and an oral presentation of the poster.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

Aanbevolen voorkennis: Analytische chemie en bioanalyse

Contact information

Coordinator

• Ike van der Veen

Docenten

• dr. I van der Veen (ike.vander.veen@vu.nl)
• dr. S. Brandsma
• dr. F. Béen
• dr. S. Hughes
• dr. M. Margalef
• prof. dr. P. Leonards