This multifaceted question will be addressed through details of the speaker’s own career, drawing conclusions

as to the role of Chemistry at the University of Pretoria and in our country. The use of expensive instruments

and highly sophisticated infrastructure is justifiably under scrutiny when a university considers state-of-theart

education and research in the experimental sciences. Doubly so in a country with an emerging economy

where the priority lies with primary education, crime prevention, health care, service delivery, housing and job

creation. The apparent contradiction of high-tech science in a developing country can only be resolved when

facilities are correctly managed, world class research leaders can be recruited, critical mass can be maintained

over years, applied projects of obvious local relevance are tackled and research money can be leveraged from

industry and international agencies with the common goal of sustainable development. Where these

conditions cannot be guaranteed, responsible action requires such facilities to rather be closed down towards

consolidation of those with a better chance of serving the needs of society.

Analytical chemical technology provides the means to perform reality checks on theoretical models in the

natural sciences and is thus fundamental to the advance of diverse disciplines that increasingly require

understanding at the atomic and molecular level. The techniques of Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

(MS) are both about one hundred years old but commercial equipment only became available much later,

largely through the need of the petrochemical industry that, even today, grapples with quality control of

products such as petrol or diesel that can contain more than 30,000 compounds. The two techniques couple

synergistically and today all well-equipped government and industrial laboratories have GC-MS and LC-MS

equipment to perform routine tasks. More sophisticated research is performed on multi-dimensional and high

resolution instruments as found in the laboratories at UP. These non-routine techniques are required to train

future analytical chemists and to support research in matters of health, water, energy, food, forensic science,

biology, environmental pollution, archaeology and engineering - examples of such interdisciplinary projects

are ongoing at UP.

ONDERWERP: Massaspektrometrie, Chromatografie, Chemie ….wat is die doel hiervan?

Die verskeie fasette van hierdie vraag sal aangespreek word aan hand van details van die spreker se eie

loopbaan, met gepaardgaande gevolgtrekkings rakende die rol van Chemie in die Universiteit van Pretoria

en in ons land. Die gebruik van duur instrumente en hoogs-gesofistikeerde infrastruktuur is met reg onder die

vergrootglas wanneer ‘n universiteit eersteklas opleiding en navorsing in die eksperimentele wetenskappe

oorweeg. Veral in ‘n land met ‘n ontwikkelende ekonomie waar prioriteit gegee moet word aan basiese

opleiding, kriminaliteit/wetstoepassing, gesondheidsorg, dienslewering, behuising en werksverskaffing.

Die oënskeinlike teenstrydigheid van hoë-tegnologie wetenskap in ‘n ontwikkelende land kan slegs opgehef

word indien fasiliteite korrek bestuur word, wêreldgehalte navorsingsleiers gewerf kan word, kritiese massa

oor jare gehandhaaf kan word, toegepaste projekte met ooglopende plaaslike relevansie aangepak word en

navorsingsgelde gehefboom kan word vanaf die industrie en internasionale agentskappe wat ook die

gemeenskaplike doel van volhoubare ontwikkeling nastreef. Waar hierdie omstandighede nie gewaarborg

kan word nie, verg verantwoordelike optrede dat sulke fasiliteite eerder moet sluit in belang van konsolidasie

van sodaniges wat ‘n beter kans het om die behoeftes van die gemeenskap te dien.

Analities-chemiese tegnologie verskaf die moontlikheid om werklikheidstoetse te doen op teoretiese modelle

in die natuurwetenskappe en is dus fundamenteel tot die vooruitgang van uiteenlopende dissiplines wat

toenemend begrip vereis op die atomiese en molekulêre vlak.

Die tegnieke van Chromatografie en Massaspektrometrie (MS) is beide sowat ‘n honderd jaar oud maar

kommersiële toerusting het eers heelwat later beskikbaar geraak, grootliks om die behoefte aan te spreek van

die petrochemiese industrie wat, selfs vandag nog, moet sukkel met kwaliteitskontrole van prudukte soos

petrol en diesel wat uit meer as 30,000 verbingdings kan bestaan. Die twee tegnieke koppel sinergisties en

vandag het alle goed-toegeruste regerings- en industriële laboratoria GC-MS en LC-MS toerusting om roetine

take te verrig. Meer gesofistikeerde navorsing word gedoen met multi-dimensionele en hoë-resolusie

instrumente soos bedryf in die laboratoria by UP. Hierdie nie-roetine tegnieke word benodig om toekomstige

analitiese chemici op te lei en om navorsing te ondersteun rakende gesondheid, water, energie, voedsel,

forensiese wetenskap, biologie, omgewingsbesoedeling, argeologie en ingenieurswese - voorbeelde van

sulke interdissiplinêre projekte vind deurlopend plaas by UP.

Professor ER (Egmont) Rohwer

Hoof: Departement Chemie

nooi u vriendelik uit na sy intreerede

getiteld “Mass Spectrometry, Chromatography, Chemistry ..what is

the purpose?”

Datum: 21 Augustus 2012

Tyd: 18:00 vir 18:30

Plek: Senaatsaal, Hoofkampus, Universiteit van Pretoria

RSVP: Voor of op 10 Augustus 2012 aan me Ria Swart by

(012) 420 3772 of [email protected]

Professor ER (Egmont) Rohwer

Head: Department of Chemistry

cordially invites you to his inaugural address

entitled “Mass Spectrometry, Chromatography, Chemistry ..what is

the purpose?”

Date: 21 August 2012

Time: 18:00 for 18:30

Place: Senate Hall, Main Campus, University of Pretoria

RSVP: Before or on 10 August 2012 to Ms Ria Swart at

(012) 420 3772 or [email protected]