Analytical Chemistry
The Analytical Chemistry unit will give you the basic knowledge you need to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of chemical substances in a sample. The stages of the analysis include taking a sample, preparing the sample for analysis, choosing an analytical method, and summarizing the results obtained. You will also learn some basic quantification methods – those based on acid-base interactions and complexation, and those involving an instrument during the analysis (e.g., molecular spectra analysis). In a large part of the lab practice, you will deal with titration – a simple laboratory experiment through which you will be able to determine the concentration of a substance in a solution.
“Analytical chemistry can give us answers to questions such as: what do we call the ‘hardness’ of water? As we all know, water contains a number of different ions. The hardness of water depends on the concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in it. That’s the exact topic of one of the exercises where the hardness of several water samples taken from different parts of Bulgaria is compared”