subject: The Story Of Chemical Analysis In The Modern Lab [print this page] Chemical analysis is something which is now done using a variety of advanced tools, instruments and software but many of the analytical techniques used in chemical and trace analysis have been around for a very long time now. The basic ideas behind many of these applications have remained much the same, although the equipment used has grown far more sophisticated, for example, gravimetry and titration.
Gravimetry studies samples to determine the amount of an analyte present by measuring weight, with this attribute being measured before and after a process which causes a physical change in the sample for instance, evaporation via heat. Titration is another older method of chemical analysis which is performed with samples of an analyte in a solution to which a reactive substance being added. The test continues until a point of equivalence has been reached, for example, in acid base titration with a pH indicator.
There are other forms of chemical and trace analysis which are relatively modern innovations, having become possible with the introduction of new technologies and instruments which enable these methodologies. One such analytical technique is mass spectrometry. This is an analytical method which determines the properties of an analyte by using magnetic and or electrical fields to measure the mass to charge ratio of molecules. There are several different chemical analysis methodologies which employ mass spectrometry, differing in the type of ionization produced.
Microscopy is another means of analysis which is becoming an increasingly important component of the analytical process as microscopes have become ever more sophisticated and powerful. The visual examination of individual molecules, particles and cells in biological samples has become a very useful part of analytical chemistry and trace analysis procedures, both on their own as well as in conjunction with other analytical methods.
Spectroscopy is an analytical technique which is used to determine the properties of analytes in a sample based on a measurement of the interactions of the analyte with electromagnetic radiation. There are a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques, the distinction between them being the portion of the spectrum occupied by the radiation used. There are spectroscopic techniques and instruments which use x rays, infrared light, ultraviolet light, ultraviolet visible light and many others, with some being particularly well suited for different chemical analysis applications.
Other technologies and techniques used in trace analysis and other forms of analytical chemistry include crystallography, a qualitative analysis method which looks at the diffraction patterns produced by the interaction of the analyte with x rays, this method is akin to spectroscopy. Thermal analysis separation techniques including electrophoresis and chromatography and a variety of electroanalytical processes may also be used, depending on the type of sample being analyzed and the demands of the analytical process.
Analysis of the chemical properties of materials has enabled many advances in every branch of the sciences, in medicine and pharmaceutical production, the development of consumer goods and of interest to many, astronomy. Chemical analysis in general and trace analysis in particular have allowed astronomers and astrophysicists to learn more not only about our world, but about the rest of our solar system and has been key to the discovery of planets elsewhere in our galaxy. The advances made in analytical chemistry have shaped the world we live in today and the influence of these technologies will be incalculable to the future of the human race.
