Quantitative Analysis (chemistry)

Quantitative Analysis (chemistry)

In chemistry, quantitative analysis is the determination of the absolute or relative abundance (often expressed as a concentration) of one, several or all particular substance(s) present in a sample.

Once the presence of certain substance(s) in a sample is known, the study of their absolute or relative abundance can help in determining specific properties. Knowing the composition of a sample is very important and several ways have been developed to make it possible, like gravimetric and volumetric analysis. Gravimetric analysis yields more accurate data about the composition of a sample than volumetric analysis does, but the first one takes more time to perform in the laboratory. Volumetric analysis in the other side doesn't take that much time and the results that we obtain are in the most cases satisfactory. Volumetric analysis can be simply a titration based in a neutralization reaction but it can also be a precipitation or a complex forming reaction as well as a titration based in a redox reaction. However, each method in quantitative analysis has a general specification, in neutralization reactions, for example, the reaction that occurs is between an acid and a base, which yields a salt and water, hence the name neutralization. In the precipitation reactions the standard solution is in the most cases silver nitrate which is used as a reagent to react with the ions present in the sample and to form a high insoluble precipitate. Precipitation methods are often called simply as Argentometry. In the two other methods the situation is the same. Complex forming titration is a reaction that occurs between metal ions and a standard solution that is in the most cases EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid). In the redox titration that reaction is carried out between an oxidizing agent and a reduction agent.

For example, quantitative analysis performed by mass spectrometry on biological samples can determine, by the relative abundance ratio of specific proteins, indications of certain diseases, like cancer.