Bioanalysis and environmental analysis in Spain

Abstract

During the first week of October 2007, the Spanish Societyfor Analytical Chemistry (SEQA) held its national meeting,XIV Reunion Nacional de la SEQA, and, in close collabo-ration with the Association of Environmental Sciences andTechniques (AEST), the IX International Symposium onAnalytical Methodology in the Environmental Field. Thesetwo scientific meetings were both held at the Hotel ClubPollentia Resort, which is not only one of most beautifulseaside resorts on the amazing island of Mallorca, but also awell-equipped hotel for conferences and meetings. Thesemeetings were held jointly with the intention of producing asynergic effect, such that current analytical chemistry issuescould be discussed at two main levels: general research andthe teaching of analytical chemistry in Spain (the SEQAmeeting), and environmental analysis (AEST). The twoevents are reviewed separately below.XIV Reunion Nacional de la Sociedad Espanolade Quimica Analitica (October 1–3, 2007)Novel analytical research by SEQA members was discussedin relation to the two hot analytical topics selected on thisoccasion: analytical nanotechnology and bioanalysis.The symposium devoted to nanoanalysis included thefollowing attractive topics: the present and future ofanalytical nanotech, and the use of quantum dots and(mono)multiwalled carbon nanotubes for novel detectionstrategies in biosensors using both luminescent and electro-chemical transduction systems. Aptamer and molecularlyimprinted polymer approaches for the selective recognitionof analytes were also described.As a flavour of the topics dealt with in the symposiumon bioanalysis, we can cite the use of ICP-MS for proteindeterminations and proteomics (heteroatom-tagged proteo-mics), the use of SPE-CE-ESI-MS for peptide and proteincharacterisation, the “integral” use of ICP-MS and ESI-MSfor investigating metal biomolecules in liver extracts, basicstudies on cisplatin metallomics by HPLC coupled to ICP-MS and ESI-MS, or the determination of tricyclic anti-depressants by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis(NACE) in human serum. Of course, other more generalanalytical communications were also presented in theevening (e.g. electrochromatography and monolithic col-umns, an extensive chemometric study on sources ofpollution based on environmental analytical data, etc.).As is customary at SEQA meetings, the topic of teachinganalytical chemistry was also addressed and enthusiasticallyfollowed by a select audience anxious to know more aboutthe implementation of the Bologna Agreement for theEuropean Higher Education Area in Spanish universities.Aspects such as the quality of this new education system,the novel tools needed to guarantee that the binomialteaching–learning concept is realised in an effective way,the possibility of carrying out round-robin analyticalexercises with analytical chemistry students in our univer-sities, and how to change to ECTS (to adapt our teachingby 2010) were dealt with.