Microanalysis
Microanalysis is the chemical identification and quantitative analysis of very small amounts of chemical substances or very small surfaces of material. One of the pioneers in the microanalysis of chemical elements was the Slovenian-Austrian Nobel Prize winner Fritz Pregl.
Methods
The most known methods used in microanalysis include:- Most of the spectroscopy methods: ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray fluorescence, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry
- Most of the chromatography methods : high-performance liquid chromatography, Gel permeation chromatography;
- Some thermal analysis methods: differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis;
- Electrophoresis;
- Field flow fractionation;
- X-ray diffraction;
- Combustion analysis.
Advantages
Compared to normal analyses methods, microanalysis:- Can resolve fine-scale variations in chemical elements.
- Can be used to identify the presence and distribution of different phases in materials.
- Requires less sample material and therefore can provide information on microscopic objects.