Essentials of Analytical Chemistry

Course manual 2024/2025

Course content

Analytical instruments are indispensable for modern society. Almost every chemical innovation in a product or material is accompanied by analytical confirmation of its composition, efficacy and safety, often followed by additional regulatory requirements. This course builds on concepts of generic molecular analysis from the first year and expands to encompass entire analytical workflows that are now essential for modern society.

First, analytical sciences and its central disciplines are introduced: separation, optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (where data is generated during analysis), as well as chemometrics (where data is converted into information). The student will learn about analytical workflows that combine these disciplines to translate a scientific question into useful information for society as well as study examples of their application.

Leaving the latter disciplines for later courses in the curriculum, this course will then cover separation sciences in great detail. Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of chromatography and electrophoresis. Parameters that govern effective use of separation technology will be discussed to allow the student to establish simple separations in practice. Students will also learn essential skills in extracting basic information from raw signals and statistically test its value. Students will bring their gained theoretical knowledge into practice in a lab practicum.

The course will also address contemporary applications of analytical techniques to various fields in society (e.g., food, medicine, environment, materials, art). Often, such methods are continuously improved to keep in pace with the cumulative needs of society to gain more knowledge. Students will do a case study in groups and investigate how the analytical workflow has developed over time for their case.

Study materials

Literature

• B.W.J. Pirok & P.J. Schoenmakers, 'Analytical Separation Sciences', 2025, Royal Society of Chemistry. PDF will be provided

Syllabus

• Exercises during tutorials

• Lecture slides

Practical training material

• Lab assignment manual

Software

• Microsoft Excel

Objectives

• The student is able to classify analytical techniques based on principle and application.
• The student is able to examine the structure of analytical workflows in society.
• The student is able to assess the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic principles that govern chromatographic and electrophoretic separations.
• The student is able to propose suitable methods for the separation of simple chemical mixtures.
• The student is able to operate separation technology to characterize chemical mixtures.
• The student is able to quantitatively evaluate the quality of separations.
• The student is able to recognize how societal and operational considerations affect the development and selection of analytical methods.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Presentation/symposium
• Computer lab session/practical training
• Tutorial
• Laptop seminar

The lectures will treat the fundamental concepts and the tutorials will allow students to practice with the newly gained knowledge. Students are encouraged to collaborate to further deepen their knowledge. Special lab assignments allow the students to bring their understanding to practice. The presentation seminar will allow students to teach each other about recent developments in the field of separation science. 

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.

Additional requirements for this course:

• Attendance to all six lab assignments is mandatory.
• The presentation and report assignments are mandatory.

Assessment

In the event that the lab report or the presentation is insufficient, a retake can be done by the group or student. The final exam has a scheduled resit. A minimum of a 5.0 is required for the Final Exam.

Inspection of assessed work

After grades are announced students may contact the course coordinator to inspect their exam.

Students must contact the course coordinator within one week of the grade being announced to inspect their exam.

Assignments

During the course the students will conduct six lab assignments for which they - in groups of 4 or 5 - must write a report. This report is guided by a special template form, that must be used, and in which all questions can be answered. This assignment is graded and counts towards the final grade.

There are 7 lab sessions and a special scheme will be pulished on Canvas in the first week that shows which group must attend which session at what time. Students can self-assign themselves to the groups (see below).

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

Students will be able to self-assign themselves in the first week to groups for both the presentation and the lab assignments. Attendance to all six lab assignments is mandatory, so students must take this into account when signing up for a group. Any potential overlap with other courses, or other absences must be taken into account by the student.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. B.W.J. Pirok

Staff

• dr. A.F.G. Gargano (Lecturer)
• dr. T.S. Bos (Lecturer)
• drs. Annika A. M. van der Zon (Lab Coordinator)
• ing. T. Aalbers (Lab Management Team)
• drs. P. Camoiras Gonzalez (Lab Management Team)