Marcoule Institute for Separative Chemistry

Our practical summer school in Analytical and Separation Chemistry is held yearly for a full week including practical sessions since the first edition 2006 in Montpellier. Since 2012, the Practical summer school is in common with the associated teams within the Excellence laboratory "CheMISyst" (2012 – 2020), a project devoted to chemistry using the so-called weak Long Range Interactions, i.e. molecular interactions beyond binding to the nearest neighbour.

Our practical summer school enables us to welcome researchers interested in the content of our research programmes, experimental projects, and the methods developed at the ICSM. The programme lasts one week and is organised in collaboration with our partners (CEA/INSTN), and has been integrated into the activities of the Balard Research Centre since it was created. These practical European summer schools, which aim to achieve a level of pluridisciplinarity and attractiveness comparable to the Ecole des Houches for physicists, offer basic courses and specialised training on timely subjects.

1. In 2006, the central theme was the preparation and characterisation of mesoporous materials. The School was run at the Charles Gerhardt Institute, except for the visit and the electronic microscope training part of the practical exercises completed during the programme.
2. In 2007, liquid-liquid extraction was the topic of study: all participants participated in various extraction experiments, which were then discussed in terms of concepts such as self-association and the organisation of complex fluids which were explained in detail during the courses. Practical exercises were completed at Marcoule, in particular at the VISIATOME.
3. In 2008, the School became European and was taught in English: the experimental theme was the preparation and dispersion of nanometric colloids (or nanoparticles) using techniques of fine chemistry in solvents, which was compared to innovative methods such as sonochemistry.
4. In 2009, the School was run in association with the CETAMA (Analytical Methods Committee) and DSV (Life Science Devices)/Marcoule. The main topic was filter separation assisted by complexation. The practical exercises were done at Marcoule and participants worked on the “teaching” platform using AFM microscopes, which are serviced and also used by the CEA/DSV for training courses in cellular biology. This equipment is now available for other continuing education or training activities.
5. This 5th Marcoule practical summer school, interfacing chemical, physical and biological sciences, will focus on Analytical innovation in the field of actinide recycling, particularly:
   • the scientific aspects of actinide recycling (extraction, solvents, radiolysis, modelling, implementation of processes…);
   • present or prospective developments in analytical techniques (chips, hyphenated techniques…).
   
   The program was organised by DSV, DEN, INSTN and ICSM and supported by ACTINET, with a series of introductory lectures giving the state of the art in actinide recycling and prospects, and also in analytical innovations in the field of life science, applicable to chemistry. Two half-day sessions will be devoted to more specific lectures on these two topics. Two lectures will focus on basic knowledge of actinides, such as actinide chemistry and the chemical thermodynamics of solid solutions + parctical sessions

If you are interested, contact Stéphane Pellet-Rostaind (stephane.pellet-rostaing@cea.fr) or Philippe Moisy (philippe.moisy@cea.fr)