Chemical analysis laboratory

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is a spectroanalytical procedure for the quantitative determination of chemical elements employing the absorption of optical radiation (light) by free atoms in the gaseous state. In analytical chemistry the technique is used for determining the concentration of a particular element (the analyte) in a sample to be analyzed. AAS can be used to determine over 70 different elements in solution or directly in solid samples employed in pharmacology, biophysics and toxicology research. Atomic absorption spectrometry was first used as an analytical technique, and the underlying principles were established in the second half of the 19th century by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, both professors at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. The modern form of AAS was largely developed during the 1950s by a team of Australian chemists. They were led by Sir Alan Walsh at the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), Division of Chemical Physics, in Melbourne, Australia.

Wet chemistry is a term that represents a number of scientific techniques that involve direct experimentation with liquids. Because it is a broad industry term, the exact definition can vary from business to business. A general rule that can be applied is that if it involves a scientist working with liquids by hand and physically observing the results of the experiment, it is wet chemistry. The use of robotics in the laboratory, however, has even challenged this definition to some extent. This type of chemistry includes basic experimentation techniques like measuring, mixing, and weighing chemicals, as well as testing concentration, conductivity, density, pH, specific gravity, temperature, viscosity, and other aspects of liquids. Analytical techniques in wet chemistry are usually qualitative in nature, meaning that they attempt to determine the presence of a specific chemical rather than the exact amount. Some quantitative techniques are used, however, and include gravimetrics (weighing) and volumetric analysis (measuring). Bench chemistry is sometimes used as a synonym for wet chemistry. The terms differ in two primary ways: first, bench chemistry can involve dry chemicals, while wet chemistry always involves at least one substance in the liquid phase; second, wet chemistry sometimes involves high tech equipment, while bench chemistry only includes techniques that use simple devices in keeping with the classical chemistry spirit. Both types of chemistry, however, do share many of the same techniques and equipment