THE MODERN APPROACH TO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

This chapter presents an overview of the approach to chemical analysis during the mid-20th century. Chemical analysis enjoyed a sort of renaissance between 1920 and 1950. Introduction of new reagents and a better understanding of old reactions enlarged the scope of inorganic analysis, and freed it from the too rigid framework of systematic analysis and the group tables. In organic analysis, the success of Pregl's microanalytical methods was little short of revolutionary. This new technique gave the analysts three great advantages: (1) they could analyze much smaller samples, (2) they could work much quicker, and (3) their analysis on three or 4 mg was more accurate than was possible by the older methods. As a result, there was a general tendency to work on a smaller scale; qualitative analysis became semi-micro, and partly through an extension of Emich's work by Feigl, separations within the groups were largely replaced by sensitive and selective tests of identity.