Analytical Problem-Solving

Abstract

This chapter deals with the concept of “problem” in Analytical Chemistry, and is concerned with the impact and consequences, both internal and external, of solving analytical problems. The analytical problem as a target has invigorated Classical Analytical Chemistry with new challenges and goals beyond its chemical metrological role; also, it has led to analytical chemical knowledge crossing further traditional boundaries and reaching society at large to respond to the increasing needs for socio-economically useful answers. The ubiquity of the analytical problem in the analytical chemical and socio-economic realms has turned it into their interface and main link. So much so that solving analytical problems has become a priority goal in fulfilling the practical requirements of Analytical Chemistry; one that has required expanding the scope of representativeness to accommodate the results to the client’s requirements. This chapter describes the steps involved in the analytical problem-solving process, and the potential coincidence or divergence between the information required by the client and that actually delivered by the analytical chemist. Also, it relates “quality”, a general concept discussed at length in Chap. 8, to “analytical quality”, which constitutes the central core of the topic: solving analytical problems.