Introduction

This practical course of analytical chemistry is intended to introduce you to basic analytical techniques, that are widely used to characterize biotic and abiotic components of our environment, such as soil, water, air and vegetation.

During the experiments, you will get to know all steps that are necessary in a state-of-the-art environmental analysis – sample preparation, instrument set-up and calibration, measurement and statistical evaluation of data.

We emphasize instrumental analytical techniques. But along with methods that have been developed only during the last decades, you are going to acquaint yourself with more classical techniques like titration, which has been successfully applied for centuries.

Due to different methodology and different equipment we have divided this practical course into two separate parts: inorganic analysis and organic analysis.

The goal of this practical course is to give you a review of the facilities and possible problems in state-of-the-art environmental analysis and to raise your interest in analytical chemistry.