ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
By: Bryan
What is analytical chemistry?
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials.Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample, andquantitative analysis determines the amount of certain components in the substance. The separation of components is often performed prior to analysis. Analytical methods can be separated into classical and instrumental.Classical methods (also known as wet chemistrymethods) use separations such as precipitation, extraction, and distillation and qualitative analysis by color, odor, or melting point. Classical quantitative analysis is achieved by measurement of weight or volume. Instrumental methods use an apparatus to measure physical quantities of the analyte such as light absorption, fluorescence, or conductivity. The separation of materials is accomplished using chromatography, electrophoresis or field flow fractionation methods.Analytical chemistry is also focused on improvements in experimental design, chemometrics, and the creation of new measurement tools to provide better chemical information. Analytical chemistry has applications in forensics, bioanalysis,clinical analysis, environmental analysis, and materials analysis.
That is done in analytical chemistry?
Introduccion
Classical methods
Although modern analytical chemistry is dominated by sophisticated instrumentation, the roots of analytical chemistry and some of the principles used in modern instruments are from traditional techniques many of which are still used today. These techniques also tend to form the backbone of most undergraduate analytical chemistry educational labs.
Qualitative analysis
A qualitative analysis determines the presence or absence of a particular compound, but not the mass or concentration. By definition, qualitative analyses do not measure quantity.
Chemical tests
There are numerous qualitative chemical tests, for example, the acid test for gold and the Kastle-Meyer test for the presence of blood.
Flame test
Inorganic qualitative analysis generally refers to a systematic scheme to confirm the presence of certain, usually aqueous, ions or elements by performing a series of reactions that eliminate ranges of possibilities and then confirms suspected ions with a confirming test. Sometimes small carbon containing ions are included in such schemes. With modern instrumentation these tests are rarely used but can be useful for educational purposes and in field work or other situations where access to state-of-the-art instruments are not available or expedient.