Environmental and Analytical Chemistry

The Environmental and Analytical Chemistry Section was formed in 1992 to focus the School of Chemistry’s activities in these areas by bringing together academic staff with a common research interest in understanding a variety of aspects of natural and polluted present-day environments and ancient environments. Since these are complex systems, studies of both organic and inorganic species of natural and anthropogenic origin rely heavily on the use and development of modern analytical methods. The Section strength currently comprises 4 academic staff, 1 visiting industrial professor, 1 full time research associate, 9 postdoctoral research assistants, 5 technicians, ca. 28 Ph.D. students and 9 final year undergraduate project students.

Specialist Facilities

In addition to having access to central School of Chemistry analytical facilities, the laboratories are particularly well equipped as follows: GC, HPLC, mass spectrometry with EI, CI, FAB and MS-MS capabilities, GC-MS, stable isotope ratio (d¹³C and d¹⁵N) monitoring GC-MS, pyrolysis GC-MS, HPLC-MS with APCI and electrospray sources, computerised data processing and flame furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Section houses the central Organic Mass Spectrometry Facility (OMSF) for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) comprising Finnigan MAT 4500 (2), Finnigan MAT TSQ 700 and Delta S instruments. The Facility provides a service for, or collaborates with, outside NERC-funded researchers on a wide variety of projects. Other instrumentation includes 2 HP 5973 GC-MS systems (EI and NICI) and a Finnigan MAT Magnum ion trap.

Research Interests

1. Determination of the distributions and stable isotope signatures of the components of complex mixtures of lipids and photosynthetic pigments in microorganisms and modern and ancient aquatic and terrestrial environments; elucidation of the sources of these components, the chemical and biochemical factors which lead to their transformation and preservation; application of the distributions to palaeoenvironment assessment and climate change.

2. Studies of the components of organic materials recovered from archaeological excavations, e.g. plant resins, fats, oils, waxes, tars, etc., through identification of individual components and their stable isotopic signatures (d¹³C and d¹⁵N); analogous studies of modern materials produced by contemporary plants and animals, including investigations of the decay processes of organic residues during prolonged burial; applications to understanding human activity in antiquity.

3. Development and application of new methodologies for determining trace atmospheric constituents of anthropogenic and natural origin, e.g. HFCs, PFCs, olefins, halocarbons, etc.; remote monitoring of species (e.g. O₃, CO, CH₄, etc.) in the atmosphere and assessment with respect to meteorological data and air parcel trajectories.

4. Development and application of analytical methodologies for the determination of trace metals and organic pollutants in a variety of types of environmental and other situations; examples include metal speciation studies, identification of trace amounts of illegal drugs on banknotes, new steroidal indicators of sewage pollution, etc.

5. There is a strong interest in applying the methodologies developed to industrial forensic science to detect the prohibited mixing or copying of a range of organic industrial commodities.

6. Related research in Chemometrics - the application of statistical methods to instumental analysis, is also of interest (in collaboration with the Organic Chemistry Section).

Teaching

The section is responsible for the undergraduate Environmental Chemistry teaching laboratory and contributes lectures on environmental chemistry and analytical chemistry to the School of Chemistry undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Research seminars by invited external speakers are also held regularly.

Staff Research Interests

• Applications of GC-MS, HPLC-MS and stable isotope ratio GC-MS to organic geochemistry/biogeochemistry.

• The study of ancient biomolecules, including lipids and biopolymers (proteins, nucleotides, lignins, humic acids, etc.) of archaeological, palaeontological and organic geochemical significance. These researches are aimed at extending our knowledge of human activity in the past and the reconstruction of ancient environments.
• Studies of food and pharmaceutical products are involved with the development of new methods to detect the adulteration or prohibited mixing of commodities and the detection of patent infringements.

Dr Graham Nickless

• Analytical/environmental chemistry using chromatography, atomic spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
• Determination of trace atmospheric pollutants.
• Biogeochemical cycling of heavy metals.

Dr David Roberts

• Development of methods of analysis for trace elements and organic residues in environmental samples.

• Development of mass spectrometry techniques (GCMS, LCMS, MSMS and stable isotope measurements) for the detection, characterisation and quantitation of a wide range of organic molecules in an equally wide range of environments.

Postgraduate Vacancies

Back to Bristol University School of Chemistry Home Page.

This page was last modified Monday, 01-Mar-1999 15:38:05 GMT. Chemistry Webmaster.