100 NMR experiments in the home

Counterfeit food, cosmetic products and consumer goods have become a lucrative market that is constantly growing. Cow's milk in buffalo mozzarella, cheaper vegetable oils like sunflower oil in olive oil, thickener maltodextrin instead of active ingredient in food supplements and sunscreen without sun protection -the number of counterfeits is at a record high.

In this student project, household samples will be measured using a sustainable spectroscopic method (benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or NMR for short). Therefore, the students will check the quality and authenticity of products and, if necessary, find adulterations on the market.

The results will be summarised in a recipe book "100 NMR Experiments in the Home". The student project members will be responsible for the selection of the samples, the measurements and the evaluation. In addition, they will design the book themselves.

The results will be sustainably incorporated in the module "Instrumental Analysis" in the degree programme "Applied Chemistry". The following students will have the opportunity to take and evaluate selected household samples themselves in the exercises/practical trainings. The created book page will be used as an examination item at the degree of the module and thus be integrated into a feedback loop that promotes the development of competences such as critical thinking and scientific writing in the students.