Annalinda CONTINO
Keywords
- Solution equilibria and metal ion complexation.
- Molecular recognition and supramolecular chemistry.
- Design of selective receptors for environmental and analytical applications.
- Chromatographic stationary phases and separation science.
- Chiral separations by Ligand Exchange Capillary Electrophoresis (LECE).
- Electrophoresis-mass spectrometry hyphenated techniques.
- Noble metal nanoparticles and nanostructured analytical materials.
- Functionalized porphyrins and hybrid materials.
- Nanomaterials for biomedical applications.
Annalinda Contino graduated in Chemistry in 1986 with top honors (110/110 cum laude) and obtained her PhD in Chemical Sciences in 1992 from the University of Catania.
In 1996, she won a competitive position as a Researcher in Analytical Chemistry (Scientific Disciplinary Sector CHIM/01). Since 2001, she has been an Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Department of Chemical Sciences of the University of Catania.
She has continuously carried out teaching activities in her scientific disciplinary field, delivering several courses within the Degree Programs in Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, as well as in Environmental Sciences and Ecological Sciences and Environmental Education. From the academic year 2010-2011 to the academic year 2024-2025, she was the instructor of the course Analytical Chemistry I and Laboratory for the Bachelor's Degree Program in Industrial Chemistry.
Since the academic year 2020-2021, she has also been teaching Nanosystems for Analytical Applications in the Environment and Industry in the Master's Degree Program in Chemical Sciences, Curriculum: Industry, Environment and Cultural Heritage.
Since the academic year 2025-2026, she has been the instructor of Analytical Chemistry and Laboratory for the Bachelor's Degree Program in Sustainable Chemistry for Industry, Environment and Energy.
Updated: August 2026.
Last edit: 09/09/2024
- ORCID: 0000-0003-2443-9352
- CINECA IRIS Institutional Research Information System: link
Annalinda Contino has worked at the Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, University of Catania since the beginning of her career, availing her-self of top-rated international collaborations.
She authored more than 65 scientific papers on ISI indexed journals, as well as three chapters on educational books.
Her main fields of interest are Solution Equilibria and Separation Techniques.
For the study of complex formation between several metal ions and biomolecules, as dinucleotides, DNA, porphyrin, amino acids and functionalized calixarenes, she used a combined approach, spectroscopic and thermodynamic, identifying the main species in solution and, in most cases, the coordination sites of the ligands involved in the coordination of the metal ions, as well as the driving forces of the host-guest interactions.
Exploiting these skills she developed a method for the design, the synthesis and the characterization of new receptors used for highly efficient separations in Molecular Recognition Technology, obtaining highly selective receptors for the recognition of high environmental impact metal ions and achieving an efficient chromatographic stationary phase.
Since 2008 she works on the chiral separation of biological analytes by electromigration techniques, including the Ligand Exchange Capillary Electrophoresis (LECE). The iphenation of this technique with the Mass Spectrometry allowed the achieving of a highly advanced instrumentation for the high resolution chiral separation of underivatised amino acids. By means of the Solution Equilibria expertise she refined an analytic approach of high methodological rigour for the experiments design, obtaining a deep knowledge of the phenomena involved in the chiral discrimination mechanisms in LECE and the optimization of the separations.
The Solution Equilibria skills have been also exploited to develop a new method for the design, the synthesis and the analytical use of metallic Nanoparticles, as well as for the study of porphyrin molecules anchored on functionalized inorganic surfaces. Recently she has also worked on different nanometric systems, such as ceramic nanoparticles and gold nanoclusters for use in the biomedical field.
Updated August 2026