2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Chemical Science and Engineering Graduate major in Chemical Science and Engineering
Advanced Material Cycle Analysis
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Chemical Science and Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Sakae Toyoda / Keita Yamada
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- CAP.I536
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
[Summary of the lecture] This course explains methodology of decoding origins and histories of environmental materials using abundance and variation of their isotopic substitutes. This course explains material cycle analyses using isotope mixing and fractionation processes and their application to environmental materials.
[Aim of the lecture]The purpose of this course is to understand the concepts of isotopic analysis for decoding origins and histories of environmental materials.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
(1) Explain the principle and practice about material analyses of environmental substances using their isotopic substitutes on light element.
(2) Determine deductively the precursors, source, sink, mixing, transport and diffusion of environmental substances by the observation of spatio-temporal distributions of their isotopic substitutes.
Keywords
material cycles, isotopic substitutes
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
At the end of each class, students are given exercise problems related to the lecture given that day to solve.
Students must familiarize themselves using course materials provided before coming to class.
In the lecture which treats calculations, students should bring their own PC to make calculations using spread-sheet software.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Basis of material cycle analysis using isotopes | Understand the basis of material cycle analysis using isotopes |
| Class 2 | Calculations of isotope analysis1: Mixing process | Explain the calculation of mixing process for isotopic analysis |
| Class 3 | Calculations of isotope analysis1: Fractionation process | Explain the calculation of fractionation process for isotopic analysis |
| Class 4 | Isotope modeling: Application to oxygen and nitrogen cycle analyses | Explain isotope modeling |
| Class 5 | Carbon cycles analysis using isotopes: Global carbon cycles | Explain carbon cycles on the surface environments of the Earth using isotopic analysis |
| Class 6 | Carbon cycles analysis using isotopes: Food chemistry, metabolite analysis | Explain how isotopic analysis is applied for Food chemistry and metabolite analysis |
| Class 7 | term-end exam | Explain how isotopic analysis is applied for paleoenvironmental reconstruction |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None required
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Course materials are provided before class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students’ course scores are based on final exams (50%) and exercise problems (50%) that requires specialty.
Related courses
- CAP.I405 ： Environmental Chemistry
- CAP.I419 ： Analytical Techniques for Environmental Chemistry
- CAP.I435 ： Advanced Geochemistry
- CAP.I481 ： Introduction to the Frontiers of Environmental Chemistry
Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed Advanced Geochemistry (CAP.I435.E).