Elemental analysis

Elemental analysis determines which chemical elements are present in a sample and, often, their quantities. It includes qualitative identification and quantitative measurement of elemental composition.

X-ray fluorescence: An analytical technique that identifies and quantifies elements by measuring characteristic X-rays emitted from a sample. It reads element-specific X-rays, often without consuming the sample.
Analytical chemistry: The branch of chemistry concerned with identifying substances and determining their amounts. Elemental analysis is one part of its broader work of chemical measurement.
Heavy metal testing: The measurement of toxic or potentially toxic metals in materials, food, water, or biological samples. Elemental analysis checks whether hazardous metals exceed relevant limits.
Molecular analysis: The identification or quantification of molecules and their structures in a sample. It distinguishes molecular identities that elemental totals alone cannot resolve.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: An analytical method that ionizes samples in plasma and measures their elements by mass spectrometry. It measures trace elements with high sensitivity after converting them into ions.
Calibration curve: A graph relating an instrument's response to known analyte concentrations. It converts measured signals into elemental concentrations.
Geochemistry: The study of Earth's chemical composition and the processes that distribute elements among its materials. Elemental patterns help identify rocks, ores, and geological processes.
Isotope analysis: The measurement of the relative abundances of isotopes of one or more elements. It separates isotopic composition from the total amount of each element.
Atomic absorption spectroscopy: A method that quantifies elements by measuring light absorbed by free atoms in a vapor. Its element-specific absorption gives concentrations, especially for metals in solution.
Limit of detection: The lowest analyte level that a measurement procedure can reliably distinguish from background. It sets how little of an element a method can detect.

Linked from 9 pages