Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

Course manual 2017/2018

Course content

The course is an introduction to the chemistry and toxicology of chemicals in the environment and includes the following topics:

• Techniques to analyse metals and organic chemicals in soil, sediment, water and biota.
• Sources and emissions of environmental pollutants.
• Transport and distribution of chemicals in the environment.
• Partitioning of chemicals between water, air and soil.
• Accumulation of chemicals in organisms.
• Degradation of organic chemicals in the environment.
• Effects of pollutants on organisms
•  Assessment of the environmental risks of chemicals.

This course builds on the second year course Analytische chemie en bioanalyse.

Study materials

Literature

• R.P. Schwarzenbach, P.M. Gschwend & D.M. Imboden, Environmental Organic Chemistry, Third Edition, Wiley, 2017, ISBN 978-1-118-76723-8 (recommended)

Objectives

After completion of the course the student:

• Is familiar with the most important environmental pollutants, their sources and distribution and fate in the environment.
• Is familiar with the most important environmental analytical techniques and their applications to determine environmental pollutants in relevant environmental compartments.
• Can interpret quantitative information on the effects of pollutants on organisms.
• Is able to assess the environmental risks of chemicals.
• Is able to report the assessment in a report and an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

• Hoorcollege
• Werkcollege
• Presentatie/symposium
• Zelfstudie
• Zelfstandig werken aan bijv. project/scriptie
• Begeleiding/feedbackmoment

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 presentation of the results of this assignment in a written report and an oral presentation.

Several hours a day self-study.

Learning activities

Attendance

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

• Each student is expected to actively participate in the course for which he/she 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.

Assessment

Assignments

Assignment

• 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 om a comparison of concentration and toxicity

  Results and conclusions of the assessment are reported in written report and a presentation. The deadline for submission of the written report is 21 December.

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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.uva.nl/plagiarism

Course structure

Timetable

Het rooster van dit vak is in te zien op DataNose.

Additional information

Aanbevolen voorkennis: Analytische chemie en bioanalyse.

Contact information

Coordinator

• J.R. Parsons

Docenten

• dr. M.H.S. Kraak
• dr. M.H. Lamoree
• prof. dr. W.P. de Voogt