Glossary of Analytical Terms

The following glossary defines common terms encountered in analytical chemistry. Many of these terms are used interchangeably in day-to-day language. We use very specific definitions to avoid confusion when describing chemical measurement procedures and results. I follow IUPAC recommendations for most terms, noting any deviations. See references 1 and 2 for extensive listings of terms in various fields of chemistry.1,2 Even with very specific terminology, a given term can have multiple definitions depending on the context. “Resolution” has different meanings depending on whether we are talking about spatial dimensions, an instrument specification, or the separation of peaks in different types of data plots. Similarly, chemical terms will vary in other fields of science and engineering. “Speciation” has a very different meaning for a biologist than it does for a chemist. Use the context to eliminate ambiguity. The most current version of this document is available online at: http://www.achem.org. This website and associated files are provided by the author to assist users of the text: B. M. Tissue, Basics of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Equilibria, (John Wiley: New York, 2013).