The Laboratory of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

In our laboratories, we mainly deal with the analysis of various samples using liquid and gas chromatography or atomic absorption spectrometry. We analyse water samples, soil, cigarette butts, plant materials, extracts from animal faeces, as well as selected substances in blood, serum and urine samples. In toxicity studies, we cooperate with the Department of Ecosystem Biology of our faculty and with the Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture of the Mendel University in Brno (Czech Rep.).

Besides developing and implementing the analytical methods, we are interested in environmentally oriented research in two directions:

• the environmental fate of substances e.g. from cigarettes butts;
• photodegradation of widely prescribed drugs under light conditions relevant to natural surface waters and toxicity tests of the photoproduct mixtures.

Our analytical laboratory is equipped with LC-UV/FLD/ECD instrument, LC-MS (linear ion trap) instrument, GC-FID/ECD (electron capture detector), and GC-MS instrument with triple quadrupole and flame atomic absorption spectrometer.  An UHPLC-Q-TOF instrument is planned to be purchased at the beginning of 2024. In the course of preparing samples for analysis, various techniques are used, of note the possibility of using ASE (Accelerated Solvent Extraction) should be mentioned. Irradiation of samples in photochemical studies is performed in the photochemical reactor Rayonet R100.

Over the last few years, we have introduced and validated various analytical methods. The details about individual analysed substances and methods are summarised in the Table.

Table: Details about individual analysed substances and methods