Abstract: In the context of emerging engineering education, an undergraduate instrumental analysis experiment was designed based on the integration of engineering and liberal arts, using a real prob-lem from cultural heritage conservation as the instructional case. The experiment takes mural salt analysis as the research focus. Using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C⁴D), an analytical method was established for the simultaneous deter-mination of Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺, and the method was applied to the quantitative analysis of these four common cations in the mural ground layers of the Maiji Mountain Grottoes. The experi-mental procedures include solution preparation, optimization of electrophoretic separation condi-tions, analytical method development and validation, and analysis of real samples. The experiment features a short analysis time, low sample consumption, and flexible class-hour arrangement, ena-bling students to independently perform instrument operation and data acquisition. By introducing real issues from cultural heritage conservation into instrumental analysis teaching, the experiment allows students to master CE-C⁴D analytical techniques while understanding the practical applica-tions of analytical chemistry in cultural heritage protection, thereby promoting the coordinated cul-tivation of professional knowledge and humanistic literacy.

Key words: capillary electrophoresis-capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C4D), mural salt deterioration, ions determination, emerging engineering education