NWNR300869 Separation science and mass spectrometry

Type
Lecture and exercise
Semester hours
3
Lecturer (assistant)
Troyer, Christina , Bräuer, Simone , Boulyga, Sergej , Hann, Stephan , Tchaikovsky, Anastassiya , Fischer, Elisabeth , Steininger-Mairinger, Teresa , Causon, Tim , El Abiead, Yasin
Organisation
Analytical Chemistry
Offered in
Sommersemester 2026
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

Analytical chemistry has continuously evolved and made enormous progress. Although perhaps not always seen, analytical chemistry has become the ‘enabling science’ to many areas of chemistry and to other scientific fields such as life sciences, medicine, environmental science or materials science.

This course will present state-of-the-art analytical techniques that are used at the Institute of Analytical Chemistry at BOKU University. It will repeat the basics of molecular and elemental mass spectrometry. In addition, it aspires to extend the knowledge on i) metrology and quality control, ii) modern separation methods, iii) data evaluation, iv) analysis at ultra-trace levels, v) speciation analysis, vi) isotope ratio analysis and vii) discovering of new yet unknown molecules using a combination of mass spectrometry and data science.

The course includes a lab visit as well as 3 days of hands-on laboratory excersices. The thereby obtained data will be presented in the form of a presentation to teachers and students at the end of the course. After the presentation there will be a short discussion including questions to the content of the presentation, pro/cons of the used technique, possible alternatives, other applications. etc.
Previous knowledge expected

Bachelor knowledge in chemistry and analytical chemistry.

Basic use of MS Office software for scientific uses: word processor, equation editor, excel for data treatment, basic calculations and cell operations, plots. Basic use of power point.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

After completion of the course the students will:
-) Know the principles of ICP-MS, LC-MS and GC-MS.
-) Understand all steps of a modern analytical workflow, from sample treatment to data reporting.
-) Have an overview of current trends in analytical chemistry.
-) Have basic knowledge on working in a clean room environment.
-) Be able to present and discuss their analytical results with an interested audience.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.