Educational Material

In 2025, the EuChemS-DAC Sample Preparation Study Group and Network launched an initiative focused on Education in Sample Preparation, aiming to develop innovative educational resources to support researchers, educators, and students worldwide. This initiative included a series of Task Forces (TFs) dedicated to creating freely accessible materials, such as guides, tutorials, and interactive tools, to enhance knowledge and skills in sample preparation. This activity was coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Enrique Javier Carrasco Correa, University of Valencia, Spain.

These resources cover a wide range of topics, including sustainable sample preparation, advanced microextraction techniques, inclusive teaching strategies, and interactive learning tools, all designed to promote excellence in sample preparation education.

Below are the resources generated by these task forces:

Title: Decision Trees for Sample Preparation: Exploring Analytical Strategies in Chemistry

Members: Ernesto Francisco Simó-Alfonso, Enrique Javier Carrasco-Correa, Andrea Tortosa Cabanes, Deneb Jiménez González, Paola Ogando-Rivas, Natalia Salvador-Rodríguez

Affiliation: CLECEM group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Spain

Description: This interactive decision tree helps students identify the most suitable sample-preparation technique by linking analyte, matrix, and extraction strategy, and by providing concise theoretical notes. It runs locally in any browser and offers quick access to curated literature examples to support teaching.

Link: https://go.uv.es/6mDcFeM

Title: Use of internal standards in sample preparation 

Members: Isabel Ten Doménech, Héctor Martínez Pérez-Cejuela, José Manuel Herrero Martínez, Natalia Piqueras García, Alejandro Gil Aparicio, Clara Ochoa Esteso 

Affiliation: CLECEM group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Spain

Description: This web-based simulation introduces students to the internal standard method through theory, interactive calibration exercises, and real-world scenarios. It allows users to build and compare calibration curves, estimate sample concentrations, and test their understanding with integrated quizzes.

Link: https://go.uv.es/KB8977P

Title: Repository of interactive quizzes and numerical problems on sample preparation 

Members: Juan L. Benedé, José Grau, Cristian Azorín 

Affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Spain

Description: This interactive teaching resource introduces key concepts of sample preparation and modern microextraction techniques through structured theory, animations, and a wide range of question-based activities. Its intuitive, menu-driven design enables students to explore techniques independently while providing immediate feedback to reinforce conceptual understanding.

Link instructions: https://go.uv.es/vQGelc0 ; Link quizzes: https://go.uv.es/gicapc/sampleprepquiz

Title: Educational 'Escape Room' As A Learning Tool for Sample Treatment in Analytical Chemistry Subjects 

Members: María Vergara-Barberán, Miriam Beneito-Cambra, María Jesús Lerma-García, Miguel Ángel Martínez-Briones, Raul Mínguez-Peláez, Gonzalo de Joz-Latorre, Paula Molina-Brotons 

Affiliation: CLECEM group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Spain

Description: This educational escape room immerses students in a story-driven investigation where they solve analytical challenges linked to sampling, preservation, pretreatment, and interference removal. Through puzzles, literature searches, calculations, and hands-on decision making, it reinforces sample-treatment concepts while promoting teamwork, critical thinking, and active learning.

Link: https://go.uv.es/4WQ4DV1

Title: Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

Members: Natalia Arroyo Manzanares, Marta Pastor Belda, Ana Castell Martínez, Claudia Giménez Campillo, María García Nicolás

Affiliation: University of Murcia, Spain

Description: This educational resource provides a clear, visual step-by-step introduction to Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (DLLME), outlining its principles, required materials, optimizable parameters, and practical workflow. It serves as an accessible guide to help students understand and apply DLLME for trace analysis in environmental, food, biological, and pharmaceutical samples.

Link: https://go.uv.es/gCYv0IE

Title: Dispersive magnetic solid-phase extraction

Members: Yesica Vicente Martínez, Rosa María Peñalver Soler, Ana Castell Martínez, Claudia Giménez Campillo, María García Nicolás

Affiliation: University of Murcia, Spain

Description: This resource provides a clear, visual introduction to Dispersive Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction (DMSPE), explaining its principles, required materials, optimizable parameters, and step-by-step workflow. It helps students understand how magnetic nanoparticles enable rapid adsorption–desorption cycles for trace analysis across environmental, food, biological, and pharmaceutical samples.

Link: https://go.uv.es/qqCe4Q3

Title: Green approaches to sample preparation for elemental analysis

Members: Laura Borgese, Fabjola Bilo, Eva Marguí

Affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Industriale, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy and Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, Girona, Spain

Description: This educational resource introduces sustainable sample-preparation strategies for elemental analysis, highlighting greener alternatives that minimize waste, reduce energy consumption, and improve operator safety. Through case studies and visual workflows, it demonstrates how adhesive-membrane sampling enables rapid, non-destructive, and environmentally friendly analysis of particulate matter, biomonitors, and consumer products.

Link: https://go.uv.es/YoJgM28

Title: Minimized sample treatment procedures for elemental analysis: Towards a greener analytical chemistry

Members: Eva Marguí, Laura Torrent, Josep Duran

Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, Spain

Description: This educational material introduces greener, simplified sample-treatment strategies for elemental analysis, focusing on liquid-phase microextraction for inorganic species and suspension preparation for direct solid analysis. Through comparison with conventional approaches and TXRF-based demonstrations, it highlights the benefits of minimized, sustainable workflows in modern analytical chemistry.

Link: https://go.uv.es/I0OnmjjNTAL ANALYSIS