Microanalysis in chemistry is the study of very small amounts of a substance to find out what elements or compounds it contains. It is used when only a few milligrams or even micrograms of a sample are available.
There are two main purposes of microanalysis:
- To identify which elements are present (qualitative analysis).
- To find out how much of each element is present (quantitative analysis).
Common types of microanalysis include:
- Elemental microanalysis: Measures the percentage of elements like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen in a compound.
- Instrumental microanalysis: Uses advanced instruments such as electron microscopes or X-ray machines to detect elements in very small samples.
Microanalysis is useful in many fields such as:
- Checking the purity of chemical compounds.
- Analyzing tiny particles in environmental studies.
- Studying small materials in research and forensics.
In short, microanalysis helps chemists accurately study the composition of very small samples when only a little material is available.