The C-TECH Academy will introduce participants to an array of laboratory training exercises. Read below to find more information about the activities planned throughout the academic year.
Summer:
The summer will include multiple days of training in Cape Fear Community College's state-of-the-art Chemical Technology laboratory. Participants will be trained on proper wet laboratory techniques including the usage of volumetric glassware, preparing standards, using instrumentation and software platforms to generate calibration curves, and more advanced organic processes such as reflux, distillation, dissolution, disintegration, Kjeldhal, Soxhlet and Dean-Stark. Roles of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and the AOAC will be presented and discussed. Areas of pharmaceutical, environmental, cosmetics, forensics, and food/beverage will be covered. A more detailed itinerary will be sent to each student who applies for the C-TECH Academy.
Fall & Spring
Additional meeting dates will be scheduled throughout the academic year. These continuous engagement meetings will allow participants to receive advanced training on analytical instrumentation currently maintained by the Chemical Technology program. Students will learn the basics of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), ion chromatography (IC), mass spectroscopy (MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic absorption (AA), and electrophoresis. Below are short summary statements for each "sector" of the chemical technology field that will be introduced to participants.
Environmental Science: Water & soil analysis using pH and soil moisture probes, total residue, total dissolved solids, total organic carbon (TOC), total dissolved oxygen (DO), coliform, and IC analysis that will focus on primary and secondary contaminants outlined by the EPA.
Cosmetics: Analysis of shampoos, conditioners, and lotions for parabens (suspected carcinogenic compounds) using HPLC, detecting metals in antiperspirants and deodorants using AA, and making/formulating cosmetic products (soap, bath bombs, and lip balm).
Forensic Chemistry: Blood typing and identification, analysis of unknown solids using FTIR, arson investigations using GCMS, chemical tests used for illicit drugs, and DNA analysis using gel electrophoresis.
Food Chemistry: Detection of antibiotics in meat products using HPLC-UV, pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables using GCMS, honey adulteration using HPLC-RI, and nutritional label analysis (label validation) focusing on carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins.
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