The aim of my PhD project is the analysis of residues of pharmaceutical products and artificial sweeteners in aquatic organisms. Due to insufficient removal in wastewater treatment plants many trace compounds are detected in surface waters. The effects of the compounds on aquatic organisms are largely unknown. Therefore, the development of analytical methods to identify and quantify relevant substances in the organism to reveal their uptake is crucial. In addition to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based methods, electromigration separation techniques are used, since the substances are usually very polar to strongly ionic. Furthermore, due to the complex matrices sample preparation is a main topic in my work.
The project is part of Effect-Net.
Teaching:
- Practical courses in basic physical chemistry for students of bachelor of chemistry
- Practical courses in physical chemistry for students in didactics of chemistry and biochemistry
- Master Lecture "Electromigration Separation Techniques"