Analytical chemistry is the branch of chemistry that develops and applies methods to determine the identity, quantity and purity of the components of a chemical sample, ranging from classical techniques such as titration and gravimetric analysis to modern instrumental methods including mass spectrometry, chromatography and spectroscopy. The discipline underlies quality control across the pharmaceutical, food, environmental and forensic sciences, since accurately identifying and measuring what a substance actually contains is a prerequisite for nearly every other branch of chemistry and for regulatory testing. Advances in instrumentation through the twentieth century allowed analytical chemists to detect substances at increasingly minute concentrations, down to parts per billion or below.
Facts
Central QuestionWhat a sample is made of and how much of each component it contains, whether by classical titration or modern instrumental methods. 1 ScopeAnalytical chemistry develops and applies methods to identify the chemical composition of materials and quantify the amounts of components in a mixture. 1 SignificanceIn the age of big data, analytical chemistry has become central, alongside chemometrics and bioinformatics, to interpreting results from high throughput techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. 1 Connections
Founded By
Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen
Has Scientist
Source Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (Wikipedia)
Source John B. Fenn (Wikipedia)
Source Paul D. Boyer (Wikipedia)
Source Sasanka Chandra Bhattacharyya (Wikipedia)
Uses
Atomic absorption spectrometry quantifies trace elemental concentration in a sample, a standard analytical chemistry technique since Alan Walsh's 1950s instrument.
High-performance liquid chromatography separates and quantifies compounds in a mixture under high pressure, a workhorse instrument of analytical chemistry.
Infrared spectrometry identifies molecular functional groups from characteristic vibrational absorption bands, a standard analytical chemistry technique.
Sources
1. Analytical chemistry (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, definition sentence
the branch of chemistry concerned with the development and application of methods to identify the chemical composition of materials and quantify the amounts of components in mixtures.
Lead section, scope sentence
It encompasses both classical techniques (e.g. titration, gravimetric analysis) and modern instrumental approaches (e.g. spectroscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry, electrochemical methods).
Lead section, closing sentence
In the age of "big data", analytical chemistry, along with chemometrics and bioinformatics, has become central to interpreting complex results from high-throughput techniques like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS)
In Group: Chemistry and Its Subfields, Lead
is the branch of chemistry concerned with the development and application of methods to identify the chemical composition of materials and quantify the amounts of components in
View the Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)
Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen, Annalen der Physik und der Chemie, 1860Founded By: Robert Bunsen, Introductory paragraphQuote, Founded By: Robert Bunsen, Introductory paragraph
A method of qualitative analysis can be based on these lines, whereby the field of chemical reactions is greatly widened and hitherto inaccessible problems are solved.
Sasanka Chandra Bhattacharyya (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Sasanka Chandra Bhattacharyya, Infobox, fieldsQuote, Has Scientist: Sasanka Chandra Bhattacharyya, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Natural product chemistry ; Analytical chemistry
Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, Lead sentence
Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (16 January 1767 in Stockholm, Sweden, 11 February 1813 in Uppsala, Sweden) was a Swedish analytical chemist who discovered tantalum in 1802.
Paul D. Boyer (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Paul D. Boyer, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Paul D. Boyer, Lead sentence
Paul Delos Boyer (July 31, 1918, June 2, 2018) was an American biochemist, analytical chemist, and a professor of chemistry at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
John B. Fenn (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: John B. Fenn, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: John B. Fenn, Lead sentence
John Bennett Fenn (June 15, 1917December 10, 2010) was an American analytical chemist who was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002, sharing half of the award with Koichi Tanaka for their work in mass spectrometry (the other half went to Kurt Wüthrich).
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.