WOLFGANG BERTSCH Associate Professor, Retired ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY chromatography, GC/MS, and applications to forensics and environmental chemistry B.S., Academy of Chemistry and Physics, Isny, Germany, 1968; Ph.D., 1973, University of Houston. office: 143E Shelby Hall Telephone: (205) 348-6381 fax (205) 348-9104

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Research Interests

Dr. Bertsch's research interests lie in the general area of chromatography, in particular GC/MS and interfacing disciplines. Special areas of interest with ongoing research are:

Forensic chemistry. Development of GC/MS based methods for accelerant analysis.

Environmental analysis. Investigation of volatiles from point sources and industrial processes.

Pheromones. Insect and mammalian pheromone systems, analysis and methodology development.

Pyrolysis-GC. Application to bacterial classification, biomedical problem, chemical analysis, high polymers, forensic analysis.

Natural products chemistry. Determination of biologically active phytochemicals in plants.

Automated pattern recognition. Chemometrics, applied to all problems of practical interest.

Two-dimensional GC. Methodology development for heart-cutting, adjustment of phase selectivity and automated analysis

Recycle Chromatography. Peak shape modeling, applied to capillary columns.

Dr. Bertsch is the editor of the Journal of High Resolution Chromatography and Chromatographic Methods, and he is coorganizer of the International Symposia on Capillary Chromatography and Environmental Analysis.

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Representative Publications

"Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography. Concepts, Instrumentation, and Applications - Part 2: Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography," W. Bertsch, HRC-J. High Res. Chrom., 23, 167 (2000)

"Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Is it Really Needed in Accelerant Analysis?"  W. Bertsch and Q. Ren, Fire and Arson Investig. 25, 17 (1999).

"A Comprehensive Sample Preparation Scheme for Accelerants in Suspect Arson Cases" Q. Ren and W. Bertsch, J. Forens. Sci. 44(3), 504 (1999).

Determination of Novolac Resin Thermal Decomposition Products by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry" C. A. Lytle, W. Bertsch and M. McKinley, Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 45, 121 (1998).

"Determination of Novolac Resin Thermal Decomposition Product from a Phenolic Resin by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry" C. A. Lytle, W. Bertsch and M. McKinley, HRC 21, 128 (1998).

"Arson Analysis. Is Chromatography Resolution or Mass Spectral Selectivity More Important?"  W. Bertsch Chromatography (INCOM). Tswett Special Issue 17, (1997).

"Analysis of Accelerants in Fire Debris. Data Interpretation," W. Bertsch, Forensic Sci. Rev. 9, 2 (1997).

"Chemical Analysis of Fire Debris. Was it Arson?" W. Bertsch, Anal. Chem. 68, 541A (1996).

"Insecticidal Activity of Floral, Foliar and Root Extracts of Tagetes minuta L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) Against Adult Mexican Bean Weevils (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)," D. K. Weaver, C. D. Wells, F. V. Dunkel, W. Bertsch, S. E. Sing, and S. Sriharen, J. Econ. Entomol. 87, 1718 (1994).

"Toxicity of Extracts from Genus Tagetes Against Adult and Larval States of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi (Dipteria Culicidae)," M. Perich, K. E. Tredway, C. Wells, and W. Bertsch, Med. Entomol. 31, 833 (1994).

"Volatiles from Carpet. A Source of Frequent Misinterpretation," W. Bertsch, J. Chromatogr. 674, 329 (1994).

"Sampling and Analysis of Volatiles in Air," W. Bertsch, Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry in the Environment (ISCMS 94), B. I. Ionin, Ed., St. Petersburg, Russia, p 33 (1994).

"Multidimensional High Resolution Gas Chromatography," W. Bertsch, in Recent Developments in High Resolution Chromatography, H. Cortes, Ed., M. Dekker: New York, p 187 (1990)

Book:

W. Bertsch, C. S. Sellers, and G. Holzer, Chemical Analysis for the Arson Investigator and Attorney. Hüthig: Heidelberg, Germany (1993).

Book Chapter:

"Analysis of Accelerant by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry," W. Bertsch and G. Holzer, in Forensic Applications of Mass Spectrometry, J. Yinnon, Ed., CRC: Boca Raton, Florida (1995).

The University of Alabama Department of Chemistry Faculty