Analytical technique

An analytical technique is a method that is used to determine the concentration of a chemical compound or chemical element. There are a wide variety of techniques used for analysis, from simple weighing (gravimetric analysis) to titrations (titrimetric) to very advanced techniques using highly specialized instrumentation. The most common techniques used in analytical chemistry are the following:

• Titrimetry, based on the quantity of reagent needed to react with the analyte;
• Electroanalytical methods, including potentiometry and voltammetry;
• Spectroscopy, based on the differential interaction of the analyte along with electromagnetic radiation;
• Chromatography, in which the analyte is separated from the rest of the sample so that it may be measured without interference from other compounds;
• Gravimetric analysis
• Microscopy;
• Radioanalytical chemistry;

There are many more techniques that have specialized applications, and within each major analytical technique there are many applications and variations of the general techniques.

See also

• Microanalysis.
• Ion beam analysis
• Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy
• Nuclear reaction analysis