Division of Analytical Chemistry

Various studies are planned to be performed at the Division of Analytical Chemistry for the purpose of developing sensitive and selective analytical methods. Analytical atomic spectrometry (AAS, ICP-AES, ICP-MS) will be applied for development of new methods for quantitative metal content determination. The methods will be guided in order to upgrade sample preparation steps and improve spectral control of matrix effects. Special focus will be payed on methods of spectrometric quantification of elemental and isotopic composition of biomaterials and nanomaterials. Developed analytical methodology will strength multidisciplinary researches and it will be implemented through existing and planned joint- projects with economic sector.

Structural analysis of inorganic, organic and biological compounds will be performed by using MS, NMR, UV-Vis, IR and Raman spectroscopies. Structure, interactions and binding modes of bioactive molecules will be investigated by spectroscopic, computational and other physico-chemical methods. Special attention will be devoted to design of novel bioactive compounds and drugs. Hydrogen bonds and their impact on stability, structure and reactivity of studied systems will be studied as well. Process analytical approaches to monitoring chemical and physical processes will be developed and implemented.

IR and Raman spectroscopy will be used for analysis of various synthetic and real samples. Within the vibrational spectroscopic methods, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) techniques will be developed, which will be applied for structural analysis as well as for study of intermolecular interactions and binding modes of small organic molecules with biomacromolecules. Development of SERS sensors for detection and quantification of various chemical species will include preparation and characterization of nanostructured metallic surfaces and spectra analysis by chemometric methods.

The HPLC and/or UHPLC chromatographic methods will be applied for analysis of real samples (food, dyes, farmaceuticals, etc.). Modern analytical procedures based on hyphenated methods such as LC-SPE-NMR and LC-MS for purity profiling of bioactive compounds, drugs and natural products will be developed. In that respect already established collaboration with industry will be extended. Complex mixtures and aggregation processes in petroleum samples and derivatives will be evaluated.

It is worth highlighting the successful collaboration of scientists of the Division of Analytical Chemistry with several research groups from abroad.