Analytical Chemistry is, as its name implies, the sub-field
of chemistry that is concerned with the analysis of chemical substances.
That analysis may be qualitative, i.e. concerned
with determining what elements or compounds make up a
given sample, or quantitative, concerned with how
much of a particular element or compound a sample contains,
or both.
A first course in analytical
The text for this course is Daniel C. Harris, Analytical Chemistry, 6th ed., W.H. Freeman, 2003. The subject matter can be identified with
a few major conceptual areas:
- Basic concepts (experimental errors and statistical analyses,
etc) - chapters 0-5 and 28
- Chemical equilibrium (precipitation, complexation and acid/base
reactions) - chapters 6-13
- Electrochemical analytical methods - chapters 14-17
- Spectroscopic analytical methods methods - chapters 18-22
- Physical separation methods (such as GC and HPLC) - Chapters 23-26
- Miscellaneous methods (such as gravimetry and combustion) and Quality Assurance
– chapters 27 and 29
We will cover much of the text's material in each of those areas. In Area I,
our goals will be to develop an increased understanding of experimental error, statistics,
precision and accuracy. In Areas II and III we will examine the concept of chemical equilibrium
and its applications to solubility, acid/base equilibria and electrode potentials, at greater depth
than covered previously in introductory chemistry courses. Laboratory assignments will concentrate
on applying those concepts, largely through experiments that call for gravimetric and volumetric
analysis and pH measurements. Following the mid-semester break we will delve, in Areas IV, V and
VI, into techniques such as spectroscopy and chromatography that make use of modern instrumentation,
and the supporting experiments will involve direct use of some of the department's instruments.
An overall goal for the semester will be the development of skills for matching available analytical
methods with analysis tasks to be performed and an increased understanding of how basic chemical
principles such as chemical equilibrium can be used effectively for solving analytical problems.
Best wishes for an enjoyable and successful semester.
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