Analytical chemistry (PAMS reference)
From WolfWikis
From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary:
The subdivision of chemistry concerned with identification of materials (qualitative analysis) and with determination of the percentage composition of mixtures or the constituents of a pure compound (quantitative analysis).
Some typical research needs in analytical chemistry:
- Understanding experimental techniques
- Determining what an unknown sample is, based on experimental data
There is no one place to look to do this sort of research. But there are some general sources that are often valuable.
Reference books with good details about experimental procedures and techniques in analytical chemistry:
- Dean's Analytical Chemistry Handbook
- Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology
- Search the library catalog for other books on particular techniques or experiments
Do a literature search for specific experiments:
Sometimes you can establish the properties of a chemical and need to identify it. Lab software might accomplish this task, or you'll have to do some research. The Beilstein/Gmelin database can be used for this. You can identify fields and characteristics, and get a list of matching chemicals. Alternatively, you may need a different type of data not available in the Beilstein/Gmelin database. (In gas chromatography, for example, where retention index is important.) Other databases may have this kind of data (really depends on the application, but some possibilities are the NIST Webbook or Knovel). Often it's useful to search the catalog, the Libraries usually have reference books and handbooks of value. Or search the literature for articles on the experiment you're working on.