Course description
COURSE INFORMATION
Analytical Chemistry is a long established discipline at Northumbria University with well equipped laboratory and highly regarded research profiles.
The course teaches a wide range of key modern analytical techniques and their applications including X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption, ICP emission/mass spectroscopy, electroanalytical methods, gas/liquid chromatography, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The course delivers comprehensive training in the major areas of analytical science from elemental/organic analysis, separation techniques to molecular characterisation, and therefore provides excellent career prospects.
The flexible structure of the course will enable you to carry out a project of relevance to your own personal, professional and academic interests. There are practical sessions for all taught topics which will enable you to gain valuable hands-on experience. Great care is taken to assure that the course provides knowledge and skills, and uses tools, techniques and methods which are immediately useful to employers, both in the UK and overseas. You will develop transferable skills during the course with the emphasis on personal time management, problem solving abilities and life-long independent learning.
Graduate Science Research Methods
This module will provide you with an opportunity to develop your skills in the use of literature and quantitative methods. You will learn how to evaluate and contribute to scientific literature and to interpret and disseminate scientific information as well as assessing scientific data and tests of hypotheses. You will appreciate the desirable properties of research design, will be able to select an experimental design appropriate to a given system and create the design matrix. You will be able to select, apply and interpret the output from statistical methods of data analysis and evaluate the results of statistical analyses as applied to a given data set.
Subject Exploration
This module is designed to provide you with an opportunity for advanced exploration into a subject area of interest so that you can develop a critical appreciation of primary research within a relevant field and apply your pre-existing scientific/technical knowledge. It will also enable you to further develop your key skills including information retrieval, evaluative, analytical, and problem solving skills, together with group-based written and oral communication skills.
Research Proposal
This module is designed to help you to understand a specific research area. You will identify an individually tailored program with your academic supervisor. Directed reading, guided and independent study will be used to enable you to gain a more sophisticated awareness of your chosen area.
MRes Project
This project is a research-based dissertation which may encompass a wet-laboratory based, computer-based or theoretically-based project. All projects will include development of research skills and discussion of results as well as an opportunity to compose a written dissertation.
Advanced Elemental Analysis
This module will look at elemental analytical methods, concentrating on spectroscopic and electroanalytical methods. It will cover:
* Review of metals of environmental and biological significance, their occurrence, and maximum permissible levels.
* Analytical techniques of appropriate sensitivity to monitor levels of heavy metals in the environment. Techniques to include flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma emission and mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and electroanalytical techniques.
* Determination of speciation, studies of oxidation state and metal-organic complexes of environmental relevance and importance; methods to assess chemical form and speciation e.g. selective extractions.
Advanced Organic Analysis
This module will look at the principal features of organic analytical methods, concentrating on chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. It will cover the following:
* Review of organic compounds of environmental and biological significance, their occurrence, and maximum permissible levels.
* Application of preconcentration methods including thermal absorption, purge and trap, and headspace analysis, to volatile organic compound (VOC) measurement.
* Chromatographic separation and quantitation. Review of gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and ion chromatography (IC). Applications to compounds of environmental importance.
* Chromatographic detection in GC, HPLC and IC. Mass detectors, flame ionisation, electron capture, ultraviolet-visible, photodiode array detection.
* Sample preparation for chromatographic analysis. Solid phase extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction and pressurised fluid extraction.
* Review of infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Basic principles of IR, MS and NMR and interpretation of spectra.
Year 1 Modules
CH0911 SUBJECT EXPLORATION (CORE, 20 Credits)
CH0916 MRes Project (CORE, 90 Credits)
CH0918 Advanced Elemental Analysis (CORE, 20 Credits)
CH0919 Research Proposal (CORE, 10 Credits)
CH0923 Graduate Science Research Methods (CORE, 20 Credits)
CH0916 MRes Project (CORE, 90 Credits)
CH0917 Advanced Organic Analysis (CORE, 20 Credits)
