Analytical Laboratory Methods module (LV51002)

You will learn about a range of analytical instrumentation. These are currently used in the analysis of drug and toxicological samples.

You will learn the underlying principles of these techniques. This will cover how the instruments work. It will also cover basic troubleshooting and maintenance.

You will learn to assess the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. This will be about the type of sample to be analysed. This will allow you to develop an understanding of the different sample preparation and extraction methods. These may be required before analysis.

You will learn how to analyse drugs qualitatively and quantitatively. This will be done for biological and non-biological samples.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• understand the importance of sample preparation and extraction methods in analytical chemistry. You will learn their impact on the reliability and accuracy of analytical results
• understand the principles and applications of analytical techniques. These are used in drug chemistry and forensic toxicology
• perform a critical evaluation of numerical and graphical data. You will also learn to communicate scientific information clearly and unambiguously

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• critically assess and evaluate modern specialist methods of drug detection, characterisation and profiling. You will be able to apply those methods to a range of drug analysis scenarios and apply knowledge to new and abstract scenarios
• recognise abnormal instrument behaviour and understand the causes of common instrument problems
• gain experience working with different software programs and analytical tools used in the field. You will be able to apply this knowledge to solve analytical problems in other scientific disciplines

Assignments / assessment

• online open-book exam (50%)
• assessed data set (50%)

Teaching methods / timetable

Learning and teaching will take place in our virtual learning environment, My Dundee.

Lectures will be prerecorded allowing you to learn at your own pace. These will be supported by:

• online live sessions
• tutorials
• discussion boards
• reading lists
• self-assessment tools