University of Tasmania, Australia

"Taking the separation out of separation science"

Prof Emily Hilder

ARC Future Fellow, Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS), School of Chemistry, UTAS

Venue: Chemistry Lecture Theatre 1 (University of Tasmania, Dobson Rd, Sandy Bay)

Recent advances in separation science mean that separations of many compounds in complex samples are now relatively easily realised. For example in proteomics or metabolomics studies, separations of thousands of compounds can be routinely achieved. However, the separation is only part of the analytical challenge. Particularly in the analysis of complex biological samples, sample preparation remains the bottleneck, being difficult to automate and often taking over 80% of the entire analysis time. Advances in sample preparation offer the opportunity for both faster and more targeted analysis as well as automation, leading to more reproducible and robust analytical data.

This presentation will introduce new approaches to sample preparation recently developed in ACROSS. There will be a particular focus on new polymeric materials for sample preparation, including approaches that can be directly interfaced with detection methods such as mass spectrometry. Examples will be shown where with the right sample preparation, a traditional separation step can be eliminated, taking the separation out of separation science.

All staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students are encouraged to attend this event.