INDUSTRIAL VISIT REPORT
DHRUVI PATEL
23-PCH-074
MSc. SEM 1 (ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY)
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2023
Submitted to
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
ST. XAVIER’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)
AHMEDABAD – 380009
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CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Ms. Dhruvi Patel (23-PCH-074) was
present for the visit organized by the Chemistry Department
on 06 September, 2023 at GEMI (Gujarat Environment
Management Institute) Gandhinagar , 382007.
Dr .Francis Christy
Coordinator (MSc. Analytical chemistry)
St. Xavier’s college Ahmedabad
Dr .Atul Makwana
Head of Chemistry Department
St. Xavier’s College Ahmedabad
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SR.NO CONTENTS
1) About the Institute
2) Mission & objectives of GEMI
3) About the Visit
4) GCMS
5) ICP-OES
6) ION CHROMATOGRAPHY
7) UV-VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETER
8) ECOC ANALYZER
9) Conclusion
About the institute
Gujarat Environmental Management Institute
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Gujarat Environment Management Institute (GEMI) is an
Autonomous Institute set up under the aegis of Forest and
Department, Government of Gujarat vide Government Resolution on
1st February, 1999. It is an ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 14001:2015
Certified Institute. It is also an OHSAS 18001:2007 Certified
Institute. The Institute has been registered under Society Registration
Act, 1860 on 1st March, 1999 as well as under the Bombay Public
Trust Act, 1950 on 1st March, 1999. Whereas, the Institute shifted its
headquarter to Gandhinagar on 1st November, 2011.
In late 90s, when the developed countries became highly conscious
about the need to embrace the concept of "Think Global, Act Local”,
Gujarat, one of the most progressive states of India, also felt the need
of adopting hands-on approach to pursue the very objective of
protecting environment. The fast pace of industrial development in
the state was really taking its toll and well-planned management of
environment was the need of the hour. But to facilitate this, core
thrust on research was a must.
Mission statement & objectives of GEMI
“To Promote Conservation, Protection, and Management of the Total
Environment through Scientific and Technical Pursuits in order to
maintain or restore the pristine elements of such Environment”
To contribute towards the Protection and Management of Environment and
Ecology through Scientific, Technical, Policy and other activities
To perform the Mandatory functions specified in the various Environmental Laws,
Guidelines, and Judicial Pronouncements from time to time.
To Promote/Undertake/Develop Studies and Research in the field of Environmental
Protection and related issues.
To Promote the cause of Environmental Conservation for improving the overall
Quality of Environment.
To undertake Research and Development activities for Pollution Control and related
activities commissioned by Industries or any other body requiring Pollution Control.
To evaluate the Environmental status and impact of Developmental activities of
Industrialization, Urbanization, and Water Resources etc.
THE VISIT
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The Department of Analytical chemistry at St. Xavier's
College (Autonomous) in Ahmedabad arranged the GEMI
visit. On October 6, 2023, analytical chemistry I & III
semester students were brought to the GEMI laboratory in
Gandhinagar.
The students made excellent use of their day in the laboratory,
where staff members demonstrated several different
instruments to them. The operation and applications of
instruments such as Inductively Coupled Plasma - optical
emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Ion chromatography,
UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, and Elemental Carbon organic
carbon (ECOC) analyzer were explained, along with a brief
demonstration of a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry
(GCMS) machine.
GCMS (Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry)
For the purpose of instrument demonstration, a blank known
sample was run. A tube containing coconut charcoal was
pipetted with an arbitrary volume of benzene and had cotton
plugs on both ends. This appeared to be an attempt to mimic a
scenario in which the analyte would be present in a matrix and
would need to be extracted for analysis in the real world. After
breaking the tube on one end and pouring the charcoal into the
extraction solvent—in this case, methanol—the vial
containing the charcoal and methanol was sonicated for 10
minutes to extract the analyte into the solvent. Normally,
sonication is done for 30 minutes at a minimum to ensure
complete extraction, but due to time constraints, only 10
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minutes were done. After filtering out the charcoal, the
analyte and solvent solution is added to the auto sampler tray
on the GCMS device. Following a brief explanation of the
GCMS's instrumentation, the software was programmed with
the parameters needed for analysis, including the column's
heating rating, temperature at the injection port, and so forth.
Depending on the situation, the Auto sampler could inject one
to ten microliters of solution into the device. An argon gas or
electron bombardment is applied to ionize the analyte once it
enters the mass spectrometer (MS) following elution. The
specific device on display featured triple quadrupole
ionization and used argon as the collision gas.
The molecule is ionized, and pieces of the ions are displayed
graphically in the software. The mass spectra are then
compared to a database of known molecules, and based on the
percentage of similarity between the analyte and the known
spectrum, one can determine with x percent certainty whether
the compound is benzene or any other analyte.When it comes
to detecting organic compounds and pesticides containing
phosphorus, chlorine, or poly aromatic hydrocarbons, among
other elements, the GCMS is particularly helpful for water
analysis of potable water, ground water, industrial wastewater,
sewage water, etc.
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ICP-OES
The ICP-OES was the next instrument, which is useful for
performing multielement analysis and can also be used for
water analysis. The device, as its name implies, creates an
argon gas plasma inside a quartz tube that is positioned in the
middle of an induction coil. A peristaltic pump uses a narrow
tube to pump the sample into the apparatus. The liquid analyte
is then transformed into an extremely fine mist and fed into
the plasma.
An ICP-OES can accurately detect elements as low as a few
parts per billion, although it is not capable of detecting every
element. Nevertheless, it is very sensitive to the elements it
can detect. This was an extremely impressive device because
the detector inside it requires a temperature of -45oC to
operate, but the plasma can reach temperatures of up to 6000–
7000 Kelvin.
ION CHROMATOGRAPHY
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The ion chromatography device functions similarly to the gas
chromatograph (GC) and can also be employed for water
analysis. For example, cation and anion analysis in water can
be performed using ion chromatography, which can also be
used to assess the hardness of groundwater.
UV-VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETER
This was the instrument that most people were familiar with
out of all of them. The working principle of the instrument
(Lambert-Beer's Law), as well as its limitations (failures at too
high and too low concentrations), were covered in this highly
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interactive session along with its applications.
ECOC ANALYZER
The elemental carbon organic carbon analyzer, which is
helpful for air analysis, was the very last device we saw. In
essence, the sample is pyrolyzed by this apparatus. The
sample is heated in an oven in an inert gas atmosphere
without oxygen after the filter containing the airborne
particulate matter is fed into the instrument. This is done
because, at high enough temperatures, any gases that evolve—
such as CO2 and other gases—are derived from the organic
molecules present in the sample, which can be quantitatively
measured.
Since elemental carbon contains no oxygen, it is also possible
to quantify the amount of elemental carbon present in a
sample by heating it in an oxygen-rich environment within the
instrument. This allows for the quantitative measurement of
the evolved gases. These types of instruments use FID
detectors.
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CONCLUSION
This was a really helpful and educational visit. Everyone was
able to experience firsthand what it would be like to work as
an analytical chemist in a laboratory, and it also offered a
crucial and much-needed perspective on the real-world
applications of the many theories that are taught in the
classroom.
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