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Lecture One

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6 views

Lecture One

Uploaded by

dr.engy.m.hussein
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Analytical Chemistry

Areas of Chemical Analysis and Questions They Answer


Quantitation:
How much of substance X is in the sample?
Detection:
Does the sample contain substance X?
Identification:
What is the identity of the substance in the sample?
Separation:
How can the species of interest be separated from the sample matrix for better
quantitation and identification?
Chapter 1: Introduction

This course is a quantitative course where you have seen some qualitative analysis
in general Chemistry Lab and will also encounter the topic in other classes.
In addition, Analytical Chemistry can be classified as Instrumental or Classical (wet
Chemistry).
In this course, we will cover the classical methods of Chemical Analysis. However,
it should not be implied that the term classical means something old, which is
studied like history, but rather the term means understanding the basics of
Chemical Analysis that were eventually laid down long time ago. Some of the
classical methods still serve as the standard methods of analysis, till now.
The analytical process involves a sequence of logical events including:
1. Defining the problem
This means that the analyst should know what information is required, the type
and amount of sample, the sensitivity and accuracy of the results, the
analytical method which can be used to achieve these results, etc...
2. Obtaining a representative sample
It is very important to collect a representative sample for analysis. This could be
appreciated if, for example, an ore is to be analyzed to decide whether the ore
concentration in a mine or mountain can be economically produced. One should
take several samples from different locations and depths, mix them well and then
take a sample for analysis.
3. Preparing the sample for analysis
Most analytical methods require a solution of the sample rather than the solid.
Therefore, samples should be dissolved quantitatively and may be diluted to
the concentration range of the method.
4. Chemical separations
The sample may contain solutes which interfere with the determination of the
analyte. If this is the case, analytes should be separated from the sample
matrix by an accepted procedure.
5. Performing the measurement
This implies conducting the analytical procedure and collecting the required data.
6. Calculations
The final event in the analytical process is to perform the calculations and present
the results in an acceptable manner.
RANGE
The size of the sample can be used to describe the class of a method where a method
can be described as meso if the sample size is above 100 mg or 100 microliters. A
semimicro method describes a sample size from 10 to 100 mg or 50 to 100
microliters. When the sample size is in the 1 to 10 mg or less than 50 microliters,
the method is said to be a micro method while a sample size less than 1 mg denotes
an ultramicro method.
The sample size dictates what measurement techniques can be used.

An analyte in a sample can be classified as a major constituent if it constitutes more


than 1% of the sample or a minor in the range from 0.1 to 1.0 %. It is classified as
trace if it constitutes less than 0.1%.

Analyze versus Determine

These terms are sometimes misused. Always use the term ‘analyze’ with the sample
while use the term ‘determine’ with specific analyte. Therefore, a sample is
“analyzed”, while an analyte is “determined”.

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