Branches of Analytical Chemistry

Have a look at some of the main branches of Analytical Chemistry:

• Quantitative Analysis
• Qualitative Analysis
• Instrumental Analysis
• Bioanalytical Chemistry
• Environmental Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Analysis
• Food Analysis

Let’s discuss the these various different branches of Analytical Chemistry.

Quantitative Analysis

Quantitative Analysis is the branch of Analytical Chemistry which helps us determine the exact or relative amount and concentration of chemical species in the sample. Quantitative Analysis provides accurate numerical results as various different tests such as chemical tests, flame tests and spectroscopy are used. Quantitative Analysis involves measuring the quantity of a specific chemical component in a sample and expressing the result as a numerical value.

Qualitative Analysis

Qualitative Analysis is another sub-branch of Analytical Chemistry that determines the components and chemical species in the sample without determining their exact concentrations. Unlike quantitative analysis, which provides numerical data, qualitative analysis provides information about the composition or characteristics of substances within a sample. Qualitative Analysis is done using methods such as chromatography, qualitative spectroscopy, and volumetric analysis.

Read more about Qualitative Analysis of Organic Compounds.

Instrumental Analysis

Instrumental Analysis in Analytical Chemistry determines the use of advanced scientific equipment to perform Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of any given sample. These instruments provide high sensitivity, accuracy, and precision, making them invaluable tools for analytical chemists. Instrumental Analysis is based on various methods such as spectroscopy, chromatography, and electrochemistry.

Bioanalytical Chemistry

Bioanalytical Chemistry is another sub-brach that focuses on the analysis of biological samples, such as biological fluids (blood, urine, saliva), tissues, cells, and biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites). Bioanalytical Chemistry plays a major role in various fields such as biochemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology, and more.

Environmental Analytical Chemistry

Environmental Analytical Chemistry as the name suggests; utilizes tools and methods in Analytical Chemistry to focus on the detection, identification, and quantification of various chemical substances and pollutants in the environment. The primary goal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry is to monitor and assess the environmental risks of chemical species in air, water, and soil sediment and help in developing improvement strategies.

Pharmaceutical Analysis

Pharmaceutical Analysis is the application of analytical chemistry that focuses on the composition, quality, purity, and testing of pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceutical Analysis identifies and quantifies the active ingredients in drugs.

Learn about the Classification of Drugs.

Food Analysis

Food Analysis is the application of Analytical Chemistry that focuses on the study of food products. It identifies and quantifies the chemical composition, quality and safety of food products. Food Analysis helps in determining the nutritional content in protein, carbs, fats, etc.

Some Other Techniques in Chemistry

• Fractional Distillation
• Centrifugation
• Separation by Suitable Solvent

Analytical Chemists and other professionals are often looking for the answers to questions such as what are molecules? or how concentrated the solutions are? The answers to such questions are provided by the techniques and methods used in Analytical Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry is the branch of Chemistry which deals with the identification and quantification of substances and their properties. Analytical Chemistry plays a crucial role in the various scientific fields and industries as it provides methods and tools to analyze and measure the composition of matter.

This article will help you learn about the science of finding properties and compositions of matter, namely Analytical Chemistry. In addition to that, we will also explore various sub-branches within this field of study, which focus on specific matters such as food or biomolecules. Let’s delve into the world of analysis with this article on “Analytical Chemistry”.