Instrumental Techniques in Environment

The aim of the course is to deepen the students’ knowledge of and acquire practical experience in instrumental methods of chemical analysis and to acquaint students with practical work on actual complex problems and with the equipment and its optimization that is essential for determining the state of the environment and in contemporary research of environmental phenomena.

Prerequisite adequate knowledge of chemistry, environmental chemistry and physics, as well as of certain chapters of mathematics, above all of functions and derivatives, and statistics. Completed exam in Instrumental Methods of Analysis at 1 st. cycle program Environment, or equivalent exam elsewhere.

• Sample preparation: methods of sample preparation, pre-concentration, extractions
• Measurement uncertainties, statistical analysis: statisticl comporison of methods and results, detecting errors
• Spectroscopic methods:
- Absorption spectrometry (UV-Vis, NIR and FTIR spectrometry, AAS, ET-AAS)
- Emission spectrometry (fluorescence, luminescence, XRF)
- Mass spectrometry, quadrupolle detectors, ion trap
• Electrochemical methods:
- Microelectrodes
- Voltametric methods (stripping polarography, cyclic voltametry)
• Separation methods:
- Gas and liquid chromatography (optimization of separation conditions)
- Hyphenated techniques (HLC-MS, GC-MS, MSn techniques)
- Capillary electrophoresis
• Radioanalytical methods: neutron activation analysis
• Biochemical methods: radioimmunological tests, biosensors
• Automated methods for continuous measurements:
- Automatic sampling
- Flow injection analysis
- Continuous and semi-continuous methods for measurements of pollutants in the atmosphere
• Instrumentation for fields measurements

TUTORIAL
• Spectrofotometric determination of pharmaceuticals with derivative spectrometry,
• Determination of metals in soil by ET-AAS
• Determination of metals by stripping polarography
• Determination of anions and cations in water by ion chromatography,
• Determination of organochlorine compounds by GC-MS
• HPLC analysis with DAD and fluorescence detection
• Determination of toxicity of organophosphate pesticides by biosensors and flow-injection analysis
• Analysis of aerosols by scanning electron microscopy
• Semicontinuous measurements of NO2 concentrations in air

Knowledge and understanding:

Students will be able to use adequate equipment and determine the state of pollution in the environment, they will be able to correctly perform sampling and prepare the samples, as well as to adequately use instrumental methods of chemical analysis and interpret the results.

Douglas A. Skoog, F. James Holler, and Stanley R. Crouch, 2006: Principles of instrumental Analysis, 6. ed., Thomson Brooks/Cole, ISBN: 0495012017 Catalogue

Tutorial test (50%), Written examination (25%) and Oral examination (25%) • Successfully completed exercises and passing the test are a prerequisite for sitting for the examination.

Assistant Professor for field of Materials at University of Nova Gorica.

• BELEC, Blaž, FERFOLJA, Katja, GORŠAK, Tanja, KOSTEVŠEK, Nina, GARDONIO, Sandra, FANETTI, Mattia, VALANT, Matjaž. Inherent surface properties of adsorbent-free ultrathin Bi2Se3Bi2Se3 topological insulator platelets. Scientific reports. 2019, vol. 9, str. 190571-1-19057-9
• BELEC, Blaž, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, GYERGYEK, Sašo, PODMILJŠAK, Benjamin, GORŠAK, Tanja, KOMELJ, Matej, NOGUÉS, Julio J., MAKOVEC, Darko. Novel Ba-hexaferrite structural variations stabilized on the nanoscale as building blocks for epitaxial bi-magnetic hard/soft sandwiched maghemite/hexaferrite/maghemite nanoplatelets with out-of-plane easy axis and enhanced magnetization. Nanoscale. 2017, vol. 9, no. 44, str. 17551-17560. ISSN 2040-3372. DOI: 10.1039/C7NR05894B
• JENUŠ, Petra, UČAKAR, Aleksander, REPŠE, Sandra, SANGREGORIO, Claudio, PETRECCA, Michele, ALBINO, M., CABASSI, R., DE JULIÁN FERNÁNDEZ, C., BELEC, Blaž. Magnetic performance of SrFe12O19−Zn0.2Fe2.8O4SrFe12O19−Zn0.2Fe2.8O4 hybrid magnets prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering. Journal of physics. D, Applied physics. 2021, vol. 54, no. 20, str. 1-8, ilustr. ISSN 0022-3727. DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/abdf96
• PRIMC, Darinka, BELEC, Blaž, MAKOVEC, Darko. Synthesis of composite nanoparticles using co-precipitation of a magnetic iron-oxide shell onto core nanoparticles. Journal of nanoparticle research. 2016, vol. 18, no. 3, str. 64-1-64-13. ISSN 1388-0764. DOI: 10.1007/s11051-016-3374-5
• MAKOVEC, Darko, KOMELJ, Matej, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, BELEC, Blaž, GORŠAK, Tanja, GYERGYEK, Sašo, LISJAK, Darja. Incorporation of Sc into the structure of barium-hexaferrite nanoplatelets and its extraordinary finite-size effect on the magnetic properties. Acta materialia.
• MAKOVEC, Darko, BELEC, Blaž, GORŠAK, Tanja, LISJAK, Darja, KOMELJ, Matej, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, GYERGYEK, Sašo. Discrete evolution of the crystal structure during the growth of Ba-hexaferrite nanoplatelets. Nanoscale. 2018, vol. 10, issue 30, str. 14480-14491. ISSN 2040-3364. DOI: 10.1039/C8NR03815E.