Mike Foulkes

Teaching interests

My teaching encompasses a range of subject areas including inorganic and physical-inorganic chemistry, wet chemical and instrumental analytical chemistry, atomic spectroscopy and environmental fieldwork. This is in support of the undergraduate, postgraduate and foundation (access) courses offered within the University of Plymouth. These include all three stages of the B.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry and the Environmental Science courses, the M.Sc. Fish Biology and Masters level Atomic Spectroscopy courses, together with Foundation Chemistry on Extended Science.

Topics cover such areas as carbonyl chemistry, bioinorganic and analytical organometallic chemistry, speciation, Group chemistry (PeriodicTable), analytical chemistry (theoretical, practical and environmental) and practical instrumental and wet chemical analysis. Data handling processes and the statistical treatment of data.

I am also involved with 'Short Courses' at Masters level which include: 'analytical atomic spectroscopy’, 'Sample preparation', and 'X-ray fluorescence'.

In addition to Final year and Masters level project supervision, I also supervise Post-graduate ( MPhil/PhD) research projects; the latter linking back into the undergraduate teaching

I have been a visiting lecturer abroad teaching organo-metallic chemistry to both undergraduate and postgraduate chemistry students.

I am involved in the production and running of field and laboratory-based courses for B.Sc. (Hons) Environmental Science students, e.g. Stage 1 field and laboratory techniques, Stage 2 'Wembury' field and laboratory course in 'Environmental Chemistry', one runner of the E2 Malaysia 'field course', and also for the B.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry students,e.g. Stage 2 'Rumleigh' site, water and sediment case study. This latter case study has been the focus for a presentation in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, Education Division sponsored meetings on 'The Teaching of Analytical Chemistry'.

In my capacity as a Schools Liaison Chemistry Tutor and as the Plymouth Area Secretary for the South West Region Education Division of the RSC, I am also involved in the support of science teachers. I am the organiser of the 'Years 12 and 13 (6th form) Curriculum Enhancement Programme' which offers demonstrations and workshops to teachers and pupils of various Spectroscopic Techniques within their syllabus.

 

Research interests

In terms of headings my main Research Interests are:

• Trace element analysis

• Speciation

• Atomic spectrometry

• Solid sample analysis

• Inductively coupled plasma techniques - 

    atomic emission, atomic fluorescence and mass spectrometry

• Environmental analysis and Environmental Toxicology
  Bio-accessibility and availability

• HPLC/GC coupled techniques

This covers the speciation of organometallic, metallic and non-metallic compounds in environmental, food and petrochemical samples (Hg, As, Pb, transition metals, Si, etc.); coupled techniques (HPLC, GC, ion-exchange-chelation) with plasma emission, atomic fluorescence and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

Current areas of research include studies into bioaccessibility and bioavailability measurements of metal species in various sample types; fully quantitative and semi-quantitative / screening methods for the determination of arsenic, selenium, mercury, lead and cadmium species in foodstuffs and environmental samples; the distribution and speciation of arsenic in the Pak Pa-Nang catchment in southern Thailand; mercury speciation in petroleum products, axial excitation of plasmas for atomic fluorescence, speciation methodology in environmental samples by ICP-MS and the analysis of complex mixtures using EDXRF spectrometry.

Three projects which have recently been completed and are of particular interest are: Studies and measurements of mercury and its species in waters; the bio-accessibility of Pb, As and Ni in different soils, and the 'Lead in Bone' interlaboratory measurement study in collaboration with the New York State, Department of Health, USA.

Two environmental projects presently under study are the use of 'Natural Materials for the Removal of Heavy Metal Contamination from Waters' (Funded by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (UK)) and the 'Bioaccessibility of Airborne PGMs from Catalytic Converters in our Environment'. 

Presentations

A presentation is to be made at the 15th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium (BNASS), to be held at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel, Cambridge, 7th July 2010. This will be on:

"The Bioaccessibility of Airborne Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium from Catalytic Converter Dusts in Lung Tissue Fluids" 

A presentation made at the 14th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium (BNASS), held at the University of Sussex, Brighton (July) was:

"Metal-Bioaccessibility from Environmental Samples: A comparison of PBET and the Unified BARGE Methods."

Michael E. Foulkes , David Douglas and Andrew Fisher

Two presentations were made at the 13th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium (BNASS), held at the Glasgow Caledonian University, these being:

"The Determination of the Bio-Accessibility of Arsenic and various Metals from Contaminated Land together with their Speciation using ICP-MS and Coupled Separation Techniques"
Michael E. Foulkes, Kerry A Flavell and Andrew Fisher

and

"An Evaluation of the Total and Species Contamination from Arsenic in the Rivers and Bay of the Pak Panang Catchment, Southern Thailand"

Michael E Foulkes, Saravuth Rattanachongkiat, Wilaiwan Utoomprukporn, Malatee Taiyaqupt, Pitiwong Tantichodok, Pornsook Chongprasith and Geoffrey Millward.

 

UoP Research group membership

Chemical Sciences 
Speciation and Environmental Analysis 

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

2000-2004

S. Rattanachongkiat Funded by Royal Thai Government

Awarded Ph.D 2004

'Distribution and speciation of arsenic in the

Pak Pa-Nang estuary'

With Professor G.E. Millward and Dr A. Jha

1999-2002

S. Fitzpatrick Funded by University of Plymouth

Studentship/VG Elemental

Awarded Ph.D 2003

Now working: Dereford

Hospital,Plymouth

'Advance in methodology for speciation in

environmental samples by ICP-MS'

With Professor L.C. Ebdon

1997-2001

A. Young Funded by RSC (SAC Award)

Awarded Ph.D. 2002

Now working: astraZeneca, Brixham, U.K.

'Fluorescence studies in the inductively coupled

plasma'

With Professor S. Greenfield

1997-2000

A.M. Marcos Dominguez Funded by University of

Plymouth Studentship/BGS

Awarded Ph.D.2001

'Investigation of chemometrics methods for

characterising drift phenomena in ICP-AES'

With Professor S.J. Hill (Director of Studies)

1996-1999

A.B. Shafawi PETRONAS, Petronas Research and

Scientific HR Development Section,

Malaysia

Awarded Ph.D. 1999

'Mercury species in natural gas condensate'

With Professor L.C. Ebdon

1995-1998

E. Menendez-Alonso Funded by:university of Plymouth

Studentship

Awarded Ph.D. 2000

'Trace metal and speciation analysis using ion

exchange and energy di persive X-ray fluorescence

spectrometry'

With Professor S.J. Hill

1993-1996

K.L. O'Hanlon Funded by:University of Plymouth

Studentship

Awarded Ph.D. 1996

Now working: Proctor and Gamble

Ltd., U.K.

'Slurry, solution and speciation analysis by

inductively coupled plasma atomic emission

spectroscopy'

With Professor L.C. Ebdon

1991- 1994

B. Paull Funded by:Dionex / UOP

Awarded Ph.D. 1994

'Investigation of Chelating Dye Impregnated

Resins for the Ion Chromatographic

Determination of Trace Metals'

With Dr P Jones (Director of Studies)

 

Publications

Book Chapters include:

• Chapter 3. ‘Basic Concepts and Instrumentation for Plasma Spectrometry'; M. E. Foulkes, together with A. Fisher and S.J.Hill in ‘ICP Spectrometry and its Applications’. Ed. S.J. Hill, Second Edition; Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford UK, (2006) .

• ‘Semi-quantitative techniques for elemental speciation’; M. E. Foulkes, in ‘Handbook of Elemental Speciation (Volume 1)’. Eds. R Cornelis, K. Heumann, J. Caruso and H. Crews; J.Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, (2003)

• Chapter 1. ‘An Introduction to ICP’, S. Greenfield and M. Foulkes in ‘ICP Spectrometry and its Applications’. Ed. S.J. Hill, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield,pp.1-34.(1999)

• ‘The use of macroinvertebrate assemblages in the assessment of metal contaminated streams’ Gower, A.M., Myers, G., Kent, M. and Foulkes, M.E. in ‘The ecological basis for river management’. Ed. Harper, D.M. and Ferguson, J.D., J. Wiley, Chichester, pp 181-192.(1995)

 

Publications in refereed journals include:

2010

•Kerstin Leopold, Michael Foulkes, Paul J. Worsfold (2010)
 Methods for the Determination and Speciation of Mercury in Natural Waters - A Review
 ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA, Volume: 663, Issue: 2, March 2010, Pages: 127-138

•Derya Kara, Andrew Fisher, Michael Foulkes, et al. (2010)
 Determination of Gallium at Trace Levels using a Spectrofluorimetric Method in Synthetic U-Ga
 and Ga-As Solutions
 SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A - MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY, Volume: 75, Issue: 1,
 Jan 2010, Pages: 361-365

2009

•Kerstin Leopold, Michael Foulkes, Paul J. Worsfold (2009)
Gold-Coated Silica as a Preconcentration Phase for the Determination of Total Dissolved Mercury in Natural Waters Using Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry, 
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, Volume: 81, Issue: 9, May 2009, Pages: 3421-3428

•Kerstin Leopold, Michael Foulkes, Paul J. Worsfold (2009)
Preconcentration Techniques for the Determination of Mercury Species in Natural Waters
TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Volume 28, Issue 4, April 2009, Pages 426-435

2007

•Damien Tran, A. John Moody, Andrew S. Fisher, Mike E. Foulkes, Awadhesh N. Jha (2007)
Protective effects of selenium on mercury-induced DNA damage in mussel haemocytes
Aquatic Toxicology, 84, 11-18 

•Michael Foulkes,*, Saravuth Rattanachongkiat, Wilaiwan Utoomprukporn, Malatee Tiagupt, Pitiwong Tantichodok, Pornsook Chongprasith and Geoffrey Millward (2007)
Water Chemistry and Arsenic Concentrations in Pak Panang Bay, Southern Thailand: Influences of the North East Monsoon.
The Journal of Coastal Research, 23, (3), 731-739 

2004

•S. Rattanachongkiat, G.E. Millward and M.E. Foulkes, (2004)

Determination of Arsenic Species in Fish, Crustacean and Sediment Samples from Thailand Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Journal of Environmental Monitoring 6, 254-261

2003

• Young, A., Pitts, L., Greenfield, S. and Foulkes, M. (2003) A preliminary comparison of radial and axial excitation fluorescence in the ICP using non-laser sources. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 18, 44-48.

• Utoomprurkporn W, Millward GE, Foulkes M, Rattanachongkiat S, Taiyagupt M, Tantichodok P. (2003) Seasonality in arsenic biogeochemistry: Pak Panang Bay, southern Thailand. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 67, A506-A506 Suppl.

2002

• Ebdon, L., Fitzpatrick, S. and Foulkes, M.E. (2002) The speciation of arsenic compounds. Chemia Analityczna 47, 179-188.

• Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M.E., Le Roux, S. and Muñoz-Olivas, R. (2002) Cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry and gas chromatography-pyrolysis-atomic fluorescence spectrometry for routine determination of total and organometallic mercury in food samples. Analyst 127, 1108-1114.

• Fitzpatrick, S., Ebdon, L. and Foulkes, M.E. (2002) Separation and detection of arsenic and selenium species in environmental samples by HPLC-ICP-MS. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry 82, 835-841.

2001

• Marcos, A., Foulkes, M. and Hill, S.J. (2001) Application of a multi-way method to study long-term stability in ICP-AES. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 16, 105-114.

2000

• Jha, A.N., Cheung, V.V., Foulkes, M.E., Hill, S.J. and Depledge, M.H. (2000) Detection of genotoxins in the marine environment: adoption and evaluation of an integrated approach using the embryo-larval stages of the marine mussel, Mytilus edulis. Mutation Research-Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis 464, 213-228.

• Shafawi, A., Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M., Stockwell, P. and Corns, W. (2000) Preliminary evaluation of adsorbent-based mercury removal systems for gas condensate. Anal. Chim. Acta 415, 21-32.

1999

• Lagarde, F., Amran, M.B., Leroy, M.J.F., Demesmay, C., Olle, M., Lamotte, A., Muntau, H., Michel, P., Thomas, P., Caroli, S., Larsen, E., Bonner, P., Rauret, G., Foulkes, M., Howard, A., Griepink, B. and Maier, E.A. (1999) Improvement scheme for the determination of arsenic species in mussel and fish tissues. Fresenius' Z. Anal. Chem. 363, 5-11.

• Lagarde, F., Amran, M.B., Leroy, M.J.F., Demesmay, C., Olle, M., Lamotte, A., Muntau, H., Michel, P., Thomas, P., Caroli, S., Larsen, E., Bonner, P., Rauret, G., Foulkes, M., Howard, A., Griepink, B. and Maier, E.A. (1999) Certification of total arsenic, dimethylarsinic acid and arsenobetaine contents in a tuna fish powder (BCR-CRM 627). Fresenius' Z. Anal. Chem. 363, 18-22.

• Menendez-Alonso, E., Hill, S.J., Foulkes, M.E. and Crighton, J.S. (1999) Speciation and preconcentration of CrIII and CrVI in waters by retention on ion exchange media and determination by EDXRF. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 14, 187-192.

• Shafawi, A., Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M., Stockwell, P. and Corns, W. (1999) Determination of total mercury in hydrocarbons and natural gas condensate by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Analyst (London) 124, 185-189.

1998

• Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M., Fredeen, K., Hanna, C. and Sutton, K. (1998) Silicon speciation using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry - radial versus axial viewing. Spectrochim. Acta, Part B 53, 859-865.

1997

• Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M. and Sutton, K. (1997) Slurry nebulization in plasmas. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 12, 213-229.

• O'Hanlon, K., Ebdon, L. and Foulkes, M. (1997) Effect of easily ionisable elements on the mass transport efficiency of solutions and slurries used in plasma emission spectrometry. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 12, 329-331.

1996

• O'Hanlon, K., Ebdon, L. and Foulkes, M. (1996) Effect of easily ionizable elements on solutions and slurries in an axially viewed inductively coupled plasma. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 11, 427-436.

Prior to 1996

• Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M. and O'Hanlon, K. (1995) Optimised simultaneous multi-element analysis of environmental slurry samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry using a segmented array charge-coupled device detector. Anal. Chim. Acta 311, 123-134.

• Dean, J.R., Ebdon, L., Foulkes, M.E., Crews, H.M. and Massey, R.C. (1994) Determination of the growth promoter, 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylarsonic acid in chicken tissue by coupled high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 9, 615-618.

• Gower, A.M., Myers, G., Kent, M. and Foulkes, M.E. (1994) Relationships between macroinvertebrate communities and environmental variables in metal-contaminated streams in south- west England. Freshwater Biol. 32, 199-221.

• Jones, P., Foulkes, M. and Paull, B. (1994) Determination of barium and strontium in calcium-containing matrices using high-performance chelation ion chromatography. J. Chromatogr. A 673, 173-179.

• Paull, B., Foulkes, M. and Jones, P. (1994) Determination of alkaline earth metals in offshore oil-well brines using high-performance chelation ion chromatography. Anal. Proc. 31, 209-211.

• Paull, B., Foulkes, M. and Jones, P. (1994) High-performance chelation ion chromatographic determination of trace metals in coastal sea-water using dye-impregnated resins. Analyst (London) 119, 937-941.

• Goodall, P., Foulkes, M.E. and Ebdon, L. (1993) Slurry nebulization inductively coupled plasma spectrometry-the fundamental parameters discussed. Spectrochim. Acta, Part B 48, 1563-1577.

• Pretorius, W., Foulkes, M., Ebdon, L. and Rowland, S. (1993) HPLC coupled with ICPMS for the determination of metalloporphyrins in coal extracts. J. High Resolut. Chromatogr. 16, 157-160.

• Kim, A.W., Foulkes, M.E., Ebdon, L., Hill, S.J., Patience, R.L., Barwise, A.G. and Rowland, S.J. (1992) Construction of a capillary gas chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry transfer line and application of the technique to the analysis of alkyllead species in fuel. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 7, 1147-1149.

FUNDAMENTAL-STUDIES OF SLURRY ATOMIZATION IN THE INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA
EBDON L, FOULKES ME
CHEMIA ANALITYCZNA   Volume: 35   Issue: 1-3   Pages: 109-125   1990

DIRECT ATOMIC SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS BY SLURRY ATOMIZATION .9. FUNDAMENTAL-STUDIES OF REFRACTORY SAMPLES
EBDON L, FOULKES ME, HILL S
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY   Volume: 5   Issue: 1   Pages: 67-73   1990

FUNDAMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF AEROSOL SAMPLE INTRODUCTION FOR SOLUTIONS AND SLURRIES IN ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
EBDON L, FOULKES ME, HILL S
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL   Volume: 40   Issue: 1   Pages: 30-64   1989

DIRECT ATOMIC SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS BY SLURRY ATOMIZATION .8. FLOW-INJECTION INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA ATOMIC EMISSION-SPECTROMETRY
AMBROSE AJ, EBDON L, FOULKES ME, et al.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY   Volume: 4   Issue: 2   Pages: 219-222 1989

DIRECT ATOMIC SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS BY SLURRY ATOMIZATION .7. ANALYSIS OF COAL USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS-SPECTROMETRY
EBDON L, FOULKES ME, PARRY HGM, et al.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY   Volume: 3   Issue: 6   Pages: 753-761 1988

 

Reports & invited lectures

International Invited Lecture Presentations:

‘Arsenic and its toxicity in the Pak Panang river basin’ M. Foulkes,*, S. Rattanachongkiat, N. Wattanavitukul, W. Utoomprupkporn, M. Tiagupt, P. Tantichodok, P. Chongprasith and G.E. Millward; at the meeting on: Marine Environmental Quality of the Pak Panang River Basin, convened by the pollution Control Department, (Bangkok) on behalf of the Royal Thai Government; held on 13th September 2004 at Nakhon Si Thammarat, S. Thailand.

‘The use of Coupled techniques for Speciation Analysis of Eco-toxic organometallic and metalloid compounds’, M. Foulkes1 at the Indo-UK Seminar on 'Biomarkers of Ecotoxicology, cancer, Monitoring and prevention', Jamia Hamdard (University), New Delhi, 29th August 2004.

Invited presentations, demonstrations and teaching in ‘India-UK Science Networks award’, 5 day INDO-UK workshop on “applications of Biomarkers to protect Human and Environmental Health” funded by “The Royal Society, London” and “DST, India”, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India,1-5th September 2004.

‘Screening methods for semi-quantitative speciation analysis’ M. Foulkes et al. Presentation in the RSC-AD symposium at the ‘Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies’ meeting, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A., 7-12 October 2001.

 

Conferences organised

Conference organiser for the 15th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium (BNASS), to be held 7th July 2010 at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel, Cambridge.

This is the flag-ship meeting of the Atomic Spectroscopy Group of the Analytical Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

More information on this premiere meeting for Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy which includes both International and National speakers can be found at:

www.bnass.org

Previous positions held for conference organisation include:

• Chairman of the 11th BNASS (Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium) Programme Organising Committee (2000 - 2002)

and

• Member of Programme Organising Committee for 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposia (1990 to present).

 

Other academic activities
Since 2005, I have been Chair of the Accreditation Implementation Committee, involved with the implementation of ISO9001:2000 quality management system into the analytical research facility (ARF) and consolidated radio-isotope facility (CORiF), in the SEOES school, at the university of Plymouth. This certification status was recommended in September 2007 and was formally awarded in December 2007.

The recent recertification to ISO9001:2008 has been implemented to enhance the analytical contract work, consultancy and training facilities of the school and the faculty of science. Further information may be found at:

University of Plymouth Analytical Research Facility (ARF) and

University of Plymouth Consolidated Radioisotope Facility (CORiF)