In 1983 the department of „Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry“ was established in the faculty of Geography at the university of Trier. In 1999 the department received a new title: „Analytical and Ecological Chemistry“. This new title describes better the education of the department.

The department provides teaching for the department of Physical Geography (Applied Physical Geography) as well as in higher degrees for the Departments of Geosciences (Applied Environmental Sciences) and Biogeography.

General and inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry are the lectures for the fundamental studies. The department offers lectures in analytical chemistry and environmental chemistry for the main studies. The students can learn in these lectures the basis of instrumental analytical methods and the foundation of environmental processes, which they need as basic information in other departments of the faculty, e.g. Hydrology, Geology, Biogeography and Soil Sciences. This knowledge is also important for their subsequent occupation. Fortunately more students are choosing chemistry as their main or subsidiary subject in Applied Environmental Sciences.

These are the main centres of research

· Environmental analysis
A multitude of environmental substances, e.g. low molecular organic molecules of biogenic sources (su-gars, organic acids) and pesticides, are determinated with the aid of new analytical methods (development of new analytical techniques and stra-tegies).

· Ecological chemistry/environmental geochemistry
Two main aspects of research: on the one hand the investigations of environmental processes at solid/liquid phase boundaries and on the other hand the occurrence of natural organic acids and complexing agents in different environmental matrices (soil, water) and their effects to the displacement of heavy metals in soil.

· Environmental pollution technology
The focus is on the utilisation of biomass residues and the employment of natural organic complexing agents for the decontamination of heavy metals in environmental matrices (soil).

Students with knowledge of chemistry have certainly advantages if they apply for jobs in the fields of sanitation of contaminated areas and scrap recovery or in engineering.

Head of Department
Prof. Dr. Klaus Fischer

Staff
Dr. Axel Meyer
E-Mail: meyerax@uni-trier.de
+49 (0)651 201-2293 or -3619

Homepage Analytical and Ecological Chemistry