Preface

"Teachers open the door but it is up to you to enter" —Anonym0us

Analytical chemistry is concerned with the chemical characterization of matter. both qualitative and quantitative. lt is important in nearly every aspect of our lives because chemicals make up everything we use. The late Charles N. Reilley said “analytical chemistry is what analytical chemists do." You will learn in this text what they do.

This text is designed for college students majoring in chemistry and fields re-lated to chemistry. It deals with the principles and techniques of quantitative anal-ysis, that is, how to determine how much of a specific substance is contained in a sample. You will learn how to design an analytical method. based on what infor- 4 mation is needed, how to obtain a laboratory sample that is representative of the  , whole, how to prepare it for analysis. what measurement tools are available. and i the statistical significance of the analysis. Chapters 24-26 illustrate applications of ‘ techniques you have learned to the fields of clinical chemistry. genomics and proteornics. and environmental sampling and analysis. Examples of the use of analytical chemistry techniques are drawn from such areas as life sciences. clinical chemistry. air and water pollution. and industrial analyses. Analytical chemistry becomes meaningful when you realize that an in- correct blood analysis may endanger a patients life. or that an error in quality con-

trol analysis may result in serious financial loss for a manufacturer. Millions of dollars are saved in the chemical industry by performing on-line automated analyses of chemical processes, to assure maximum efficiency in chemical production.