Research Interests of the Chair of Instrumental Analysis are based on two fields:
Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry pdf-Version
Analytical Chemistry
The work in our group mostly involves separation techniques. In gas chromatography we are focus-sing on the use of a variety of solventless extrac-tion/enrichment techniques such as solid phase microextraction (SPME) and in-needle trap tech-niques. These allow the sensitive and automated analysis of volatile and semivolatile organic com-pounds in aqueous matrices, with emphasis on polar non-ionic compounds that are well soluble in water. In HPLC we develop and utilize online ex-traction systems and subcritical water chromatog-raphy. In both areas we are interested in an in-crease of separation efficiency by multidimensional chromatography. Furthermore, we tackle both very fundamental questions, e.g. of phase partitioning, and applications to real-world problems. A special area of interest is the hyphenation of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) with GC and HPLC separations. Method developments in this area focus on improving sensitivity in isotope analysis.
Analysis of urine samples for aromatic amines with GCxGC
Environmental Chemistry
Focus of the research activities in this area are sources, behavior and fate of organic contaminants in the environmental compartments soil and water. The following scheme illustrates the various as-pects of our work with the example of the fuel oxy-genate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) that has been intensively studied in our group. Other com-pound classes currently of special interest include short-chain chlorinated paraffins, perfluorinated compounds, heterocyclic compounds, and amines.
(1) Identification and quantification of organic trace compounds in environmental matrices
(2) Equilibrium partitioning between liquid or-ganic mixtures (i.e., NAPLs) and water, kinetics of mass transfer and effects of organic phase aging on these processes
(3) Relevant sorption processes under various environmental conditions and soil parameters and means to better predict sorption based on thermo-dynamic considerations
(4a) Source apportionment and differentiation of immission pathways (e.g., diffuse vs. point sources)
(4b) Abiotic and biotic transformation, e.g., dehy-drochlorination vs. reductive dechlorination of highly chlorinated ethanes.
Both topics in 4 are studied mainly by applying compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.
(5) Fundamental and applied studies of water treatment methods, including sorptive technologies and advanced oxidation Processes (AOPs).
Auszug aus Mitteilungsblatt 2/2008 der GDCh-FG Analytische Chemie ("Prof. T. Schmidt im Fokus") 
