<i>CH</i>analysis 2025 – Analytical Science between Chemistry, Physics and Cultural Heritage

he showcased how analytical science pushes technical boundaries while addressing urgent biomedical questions.Industry event partners brought in complementary perspectives.Bruker's presentation of rapid ambient FT-IR and Raman imaging systems demonstrated how analytical hardware can be augmented through quantum cascade laser technology for process control and imaging.Brechbhler's innovative ITEX method for volatile organic compounds detection in water achieved a 93-fold sensitivity improvement, and Metrohm highlighted how shelf-life prediction of edible oils can be refined by combining chemometrics with traditional oxidation methods.These talks illustrated how analytical instrumentation evolves not in isolation, but in feedback with emerging challenges in manufacturing, regulation, and consumer safety.From the physical sciences, several talks showed how analytical methods unlock structure and process.Sharath Rameshbabu introduced composition and structural characterization of thin films to realize the first ever distributed-feedback X-ray laser on a chip.Ayush Agarwal (Fig. 2) presented Paul Scherrer Institute's (PSI) method for biogas impurity monitoring, quantifying sulphur and siloxanes using ICP-MS after isopropanol extraction-highlighting how even trace components in energy production have major technological consequences.Gabriel Junquetti Mattos offered a fast method for tracking ionic activity via fluorescence-coupled electrochemical microscopy, underscoring the dynamic interface between signal processing, light, and electrochemistry.Meanwhile, Andrea Castellaneta's design-of-experiment approach to oxysterol separation reflected how data-driven chromatography can resolve complex biochemical pathways.Steven J. Chow addressed environmental challenges with analytical depth, focusing on PFAS tracking in water, sludge, and biota.His team's analytical protocols push the boundaries of detection, requiring sample enrichment by orders of magnitude and creative approaches to resolve coeluting compounds-essential, given the regulatory threshold of <100 ng/L for some PFAS by 2026 in Switzerland.