The role of analytical chemistry for the society

Its contributions are foundational across many sectors that impact daily life, industry, health, and the environment.

1. Healthcare and Medicine

• Drug development and quality control: Ensures that medicines are safe, effective, and contain the correct dosage.
• Clinical diagnostics: Identifies diseases through blood, urine, and tissue analysis.
• Monitoring therapeutic levels: Measures drug concentrations in the body to ensure efficacy and avoid toxicity.

• Biomolecule Identification and Quantification: Analytical methods like mass spectrometry, chromatography, and spectroscopy are used to analyze proteins, DNA, RNA, lipids, and metabolites. This helps in understanding cellular function, signaling pathways, and disease mechanisms.
• Genomics and Proteomics: Analytical tools are used to sequence DNA and RNA, detect mutations, or measure gene expression. Techniques like 2D electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS are used to identify and quantify proteins in complex biological samples.
• Metabolomics and Systems Biology: Analytical chemistry enables metabolite profiling, giving insights into metabolic pathways and how organisms respond to environmental or genetic changes. This contributes to a holistic understanding of biological systems.
• Microbiology and Cell Analysis: Techniques like flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and cell sorting rely heavily on analytical chemistry principles.

3. Environmental Protection

• Pollution monitoring: Detects contaminants in air, water, and soil.
• Compliance enforcement: Ensures industries follow environmental regulations.
• Climate studies: Analyzes atmospheric gases and pollutants affecting climate change.

4. Food Safety and Quality

• Contaminant detection: Identifies harmful substances like pesticides, heavy metals, or bacteria.
• Nutritional labeling: Quantifies nutrients to ensure accurate product labeling.
• Adulteration detection: Verifies authenticity of food products (e.g., olive oil, honey).

5. Forensic Science and Law Enforcement

• Crime scene investigation: Analyzes substances like drugs, explosives, or poisons.
• Toxicology: Detects substances in the body to determine cause of death or impairment.

6. Industrial Applications

• Process control: monitor and optimize continuous production.
• Quality control in manufacturing: Ensures products meet specifications (e.g., in pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, petrochemicals).
• Material analysis: Assesses raw materials and finished products for performance and safety.

7. Scientific Research and Innovation

• New materials development: Helps discover and characterize new materials (e.g., nanomaterials, catalysts).
• Fundamental understanding: Aids in exploring chemical and biological processes at molecular levels.

8. Public Safety and National Security 

• Detection of hazardous materials: Identifies chemical weapons or toxic agents.
• Food and drug inspections: Prevents smuggling of counterfeit or dangerous substances.

In Summary:

Analytical chemistry safeguards health, helps to protect the environment, enhances industrial efficiency, enhances the quality of life and supports justice. It is a silent yet vital force behind much of the modern world's safety, innovation, and progress.

Trace element and speciation analysis in only a small part of analytical sciences. Yet, the information provided by trace element and speciation analysis is vital for many disciplines. 

EVISA is reporting about interesting applications and new research results within its News section. The different research areas benefitting from speciation analysis are discussed in the following brief summaries:

 Research fields related to elemental speciation

 February 12, 2025: The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Analytical Chemistry

last time modified: August 23, 2025