Unit INSTRUMENTAL AND LABORATORY ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
- Course
- Quality control of healthcare products
- Study-unit Code
- A005293
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Roccaldo Sardella
- Teachers
-
- Roccaldo Sardella
- Hours
- 87 ore - Roccaldo Sardella
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline chimiche
- Sector
- CHIM/01
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- The course provides both theoretical knowledge and practical training in the main instrumental analytical techniques used for the qualitative characterization and quantitative determination of organic and inorganic compounds. The physical and chemical principles underlying spectroscopic, chromatographic, and mass spectrometric techniques are examined in depth, with particular emphasis on the operation of analytical instrumentation and the interpretation of experimental data.
The program covers UV-Visible, infrared (IR), and fluorescence spectroscopy; ICP-OES and ICP-MS techniques for elemental analysis; gas chromatography (GC); liquid chromatography (HPLC/UHPLC); and mass spectrometry, including the principal chromatography–mass spectrometry interfaces. The course also addresses chromatographic separation processes, the parameters affecting analytical performance, sample preparation strategies, and the selection of the most appropriate analytical methods according to the sample matrix and target analytes.
Laboratory activities enable students to develop practical skills in the use of major analytical instruments, the processing and critical interpretation of experimental results, and the presentation of analytical data according to scientific and professional standards. - Reference texts
- - D.C. Harris, Chimica Analitica Quantitativa, Zanichelli.
- D. A. Skoog, F. J. Holler, S. R. Crouch, Chimica analitica strumentale, EdiSes.
- Additional material downloadable from the web site unistudium.unipg.it. - Educational objectives
- The course aims to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to understand, select, and apply the main instrumental techniques used in qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the physical and chemical principles underlying the main spectroscopic, chromatographic, and mass spectrometric techniques used in instrumental analysis.
- Describe the operating principles, components, and analytical features of major analytical instruments, including UV-Vis and IR spectrophotometers, spectrofluorometers, ICP-OES and ICP-MS systems, gas chromatographs, liquid chromatographs, and mass spectrometers.
- Interpret data and results obtained through spectroscopic, chromatographic, and mass spectrometric techniques, assessing their quality, reliability, and limitations.
- Understand chromatographic separation processes and the factors affecting analytical efficiency, selectivity, and resolution.
- Develop skills in sample preparation and in selecting the most appropriate analytical methodologies according to the sample matrix and target analytes.
- Competently apply the main instrumental analytical techniques for the qualitative characterization and quantitative determination of organic and inorganic compounds.
- Process, interpret, and critically discuss experimental data, preparing technical reports and presenting results according to scientific standards. - Prerequisites
- To be eligible to take the examination, students must have successfully passed the following courses:
- Matematica con elementi di informatica e Gestione e
controllo della qualità (MCI)
- Chimica generale e inorganica
- Chimica organica e bio-organica - Teaching methods
- The course is organized as follows:
- Lectures covering theoretical principles and their practical applications (42 hours).
- Individual laboratory sessions (10 laboratory exercises of approximately 4.5 hours each; students are divided into groups) focused on the following analytical techniques: HPLC-DAD, GC-FID, GC-MS, spectrophotometry, and spectrofluorimetry.
- Group laboratory sessions involving the use of UHPLC-QQQ and UHPLC-QToF systems. - Other information
- In-person attendance at laboratory sessions is mandatory.
- Learning verification modality
- - Laboratory reports (assessment of accuracy, data processing, interpretation, and laboratory report writing
- Oral examination (theoretical knowledge and practical applications)
The final grade is based on the evaluation of: theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and the quality of experimental work.
For information on support services for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (DSA), please visit: http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa - Extended program
- Introduction to SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES, equations and properties of electromagnetic radiation. Characteristics of UV-Visible and IR absorption spectra.
Instrumental components for spectrophotometric analysis. Single-beam, double-beam, and multichannel spectrophotometers.
IR Absorption Spectroscopy. Theory, qualitative and quantitative applications; characteristic regions of the IR spectrum; interpretation of IR spectra. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Introduction to Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, NIR instrumentation, and signal acquisition. Applications.
Fluorescence Spectroscopy. Excitation and emission spectra; characteristics of fluorescent compounds; relationship between fluorescence intensity and concentration; structure of a spectrofluorometer. Applications.
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)-Based Spectrometric Techniques. Physical principles of plasma generation and plasma properties. Instrumental components of ICP-OES and ICP-MS systems, including RF generator, plasma torch, nebulization chambers, optical systems, detectors, and mass analyzers. Selection of analytes and emission lines. Spectral, physical, chemical, and matrix interferences and strategies for their correction. Fundamentals and applications of ICP-MS. Sample preparation procedures for elemental analysis.
Introduction to CHROMATOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES. Chromatographic theory. Chromatographic parameters.
Gas Chromatography. Introduction to gas chromatography, separation process in gas chromatography, injection systems, columns and their characteristics, capillary and packed columns, liquid stationary phases, detectors. Applications.
Liquid Chromatography. Characteristics of the liquid chromatograph, pumping systems, and sample injection systems. Types of columns. Characteristics of the stationary phase. Elution processes (isocratic and gradient) and characteristics of the mobile phase. Elution modes. Types of detectors. Ion Chromatography. Introduction to hydrophobic interaction chromatography, partition chromatography, adsorption chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography, affinity chromatography, and chiral chromatography.
MASS SPECTROMETRY. Principles of mass spectrometry, electron ionization, definition of a mass spectrum, types of mass spectrometers; components of a mass spectrometer: sample introduction system, ionization methods, mass analyzer; tandem mass spectrometry and hybrid analyzers. Chromatography–mass spectrometry interfaces. Mass spectrometer resolution and types of mass analyzers.
Practical laboratory sessions (individual workstation) involve the use of the following instruments: HPLC-DAD; GC-FID and GC-MS; Spectrophotometer and Spectrofluorometer. Group laboratory sessions will be carried out on UHPLC-QQQ and UHPLC-QToF systems. The samples analyzed will be consistent with the degree program curricula.