Educational Background
- Bachelor of Arts, College of Wooster, 1978
- Doctor of Philosophy, Michigan State University, 1982
Research Interests:
Trace metals in the environment, solid phase extraction, atomic spectroscopy The Thompson research group is interested in the analysis of commercial products for trace metals, particularly the heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury.
Recent work has focused on the determination of mercury in drywall and cadmium in beauty products and nutraceuticals. Procedures are being developed to concentrate such metals from test solutions by solid phase extraction using ion exchange or complexing resins prior to metal determination by cold vapor or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
Another area of interest is the development of laboratory experiments in forensic analytical chemistry and environmental analytical chemistry for courses at the college level.
Feature Article: Chemistry Lab Murder Trial
Recent sabbaticals: FBI Research Laboratory (1997), National Institute of Standards and Technology (2003-04), Hollings Marine Laboratory (2011)
Teaches:
Analytical Chemistry, General Chemistry, Forensic Chemistry
Representative Publications:
- Thompson, R.Q.; Loa, K. “Applications of argentation solid phase extraction to the capsaicinoids: purification of commercial standards and isolation of homodihydrocapsaicin (8-methyl) from ‘Bhut Jolokia’, Food Chemistry 2011, 126, 1424-1430.
- Sniegoski, L.T.; Waddell, J.; Welch, M.J.; Fatah, A.A.; Gackstetter, M.; Thompson, R.Q. “Evaluation of Oral Fluid Testing Devices”; Internal Report #7585 of the Office of Law Enforcement Standards of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 2009.
- Thompson, Robert Q. “Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in dryer lint: an advanced analysis laboratory”, Journal of Chemical Education 2008, 85, 1419-1420.
