Instrumental analysis is a field ofanalytical chemistry that investigatesanalytes usingscientific instruments.
Spectroscopy measures the interaction of themolecules withelectromagnetic radiation. Spectroscopy consists of many different applications such asatomic absorption spectroscopy,atomic emission spectroscopy,ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy,infrared spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,photoemission spectroscopy,Mössbauer spectroscopy, andcircular dichroism spectroscopy.
Methods of nuclear spectroscopy use properties of anucleus to probe a material's properties, especially the material's local structure. Common methods includenuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR),Mössbauer spectroscopy (MBS), andperturbed angular correlation (PAC).
Mass spectrometry measures mass-to-charge ratio of molecules usingelectric andmagnetic fields. There are several ionization methods:electron ionization,chemical ionization,electrospray,fast atom bombardment,matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, and others. Also, mass spectrometry is categorized by approaches of mass analyzers:magnetic-sector,quadrupole mass analyzer,quadrupole ion trap,time-of-flight,Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, and so on.
Crystallography is a technique that characterizes the chemical structure of materials at theatomic level by analyzing thediffraction patterns ofelectromagnetic radiation orparticles that have been deflected by atoms in the material.X-rays are most commonly used. From the raw data, the relative placement of atoms in space may be determined.
Electroanalytical methods measure theelectric potential involts and/or theelectric current inamps in anelectrochemical cell containing the analyte.[1][2] These methods can be categorized according to which aspects of the cell are controlled and which are measured. The three main categories arepotentiometry (the difference in electrode potentials is measured),coulometry (the cell's current is measured over time), andvoltammetry (the cell's current is measured while actively altering the cell's potential).
Calorimetry andthermogravimetric analysis measure the interaction of a material andheat.
Separation processes are used to decrease the complexity of material mixtures.Chromatography andelectrophoresis are representative of this field.
Combinations of the above techniques produce "hybrid" or "hyphenated" techniques.[3][4][5][6][7] Several examples are in popular use today and new hybrid techniques are under development.
Hyphenated separation techniques refer to a combination of two or more techniques to separate chemicals from solutions and detect them. Most often, the other technique is some form ofchromatography. Hyphenated techniques are widely used inchemistry andbiochemistry. Aslash is sometimes used instead ofhyphen, especially if the name of one of the methods contains a hyphen itself.
Examples of hyphenated techniques:
The visualization of singlemolecules, singlebiological cells,biological tissues andnanomaterials is very important and attractive approach in analytical science. Also, hybridization with other traditional analytical tools is revolutionizing analytical science.Microscopy can be categorized into three different fields:optical microscopy,electron microscopy, andscanning probe microscopy. Recently, this field has been rapidly progressing because of the rapid development of thecomputer andcamera industries.
Devices that integrate multiple laboratory functions on a single chip of only a few square millimeters or centimeters in size and that are capable of handling extremely small fluid volumes down to less than picoliters.
Branches ofchemistry | |
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| Analytical | |
| Theoretical | |
| Physical | |
| Inorganic | |
| Organic | |
| Biological | |
| Interdisciplinarity | |
| See also | |
