ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY AND LABORATORY - PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES

The aim is to provide the fundamental concepts of Analytical Chemistry to determinate compounds of environmental interest in real matrices (drinking waters, seawater, wastes waters and sediemnts) and use of the more suitable techniques and instrumentation. The student will learn the essential basic procedures to ensure a good laboratory practice. The first laboratory module is focused on learning classic techniques for chemical analysis: preparation of solutions with a known concentration, practical foundations of gravimetric and volumetric analysis. The second module is focused to experiment instrumental analytical techniques. All the exercises will be carried out on real environmental matrices.

The course scope is to give the practical capacity to determine components of environmental interest in real matrices using the fundamental concepts of analytical chemistry. The student at the end of the course will be autonomously able to carry laboratory analysis to quantify different analytes by classical volumetric analysis and instrumental analysis. Moreover, the course will give the capacity for a critical interpretation of chimico-analytical data in order to define the environment quality. One essential scope of the course is to explain the motivations behind every laboratory operation. The final scope is to give at the student the capacity to apply analytical protocols also different from those tested in the laboratory course and to understanding its meaning.

Basic knowledge of general and inorganic chemistry.

Quality of analytical data. Use of analytical balances, fundamentals of gravimetric analysis. Gravimetric determination of sulphates in water sample. Determination of: total acidity of waste industrial waters (potentiometric titration), of OD in sea water, of Ca and Mg in drinkable water sample, (complexation titration). Stoichiometric calculations relating to experiences.
Spectrophotometric determination of nitrite ion, Cr and Mn in water samples.
Determination of metals in natural water by optical emission spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma source (ICP-OES).
Deternination of aliphatic hydrocabon by gas chromatography (GC).
Determination of soluble ions by ion chromatography.
Experiments of HPLC.

D. A. SKOOG, D. M. WEST, F.J. HOLLER, Fundamental of Analytical Chemistry, International Student Edition, EdiSES, Padova.
Lecture notes.

During laboratory exercitations, the students will be invited to discuss with the teacher the results obtained during the experimental activity and to interpret the collected data. After each exercitation the students must present a report containing the experimental data and the elaboration carried out to obtain the final result. The written test is aimed at verifying whether students have learned the required basic knowledge of the methods and elaborations need to properly express the results of laboratory analyzes. The subsequent oral test is aimed to briefly clarify details of the analytical procedure adopted.

Lectures and experimental laboratory activities. Preliminary lectures will be carried out to explain the motivation of each experimental operation and to give a detailed description of the laboratory practical operations, particular attention will be devoted to ensure safety in the laboratory and the sustainability of operations (management and disposal of used chemicals). The laboratory activities give the opportunity to autonomously apply the acquired knowledge by the adequate accuracy and precision.

written and oral