What Is Chemical Analysis?
Chemical Analysis is straightforward in principle but complicated in practice – at its heart, it is attempting to identify what elements or compounds are present in a given sample that are causing it to behave (or not behave) in a specific way. In the material testing world, chemical testing can help with analyzing materials for contamination, understanding degradation patterns, informing specific failure analysis, and more.
Chemical analysis is often combined with mechanical analysis to help scientists understand the ‘why’ behind the results of material analysis, not just the ‘what’ – for example, if you find that a material fatigues too quickly as a result of a mechanical analysis, chemical analysis can inform an understanding of why.
Covalent’s chemical testing services allow for analyzing polymers, verifying the composition of thin films and coatings, trace element analysis, and more.
How Chemical Analysis Works
Covalent’s chemical testing laboratory is often called on to verify purity of material, detect contaminants that affect the performance of a material, or optimize formulations early in the product development process.
Various types of chemical analysis are suited to specific applications. Spectroscopy techniques provide information on chemical bonding, structure and surface information and can detect trace elements with astounding precision. Chromatography is about separating complex mixtures into their components, to identify concentrations of specific elements.
The field’s breadth is one of its greatest strengths – whether your sample consists of organic or inorganic compounds, volatile or stable, solid, liquid, or gas, Covalent’s scientists can help you identify the appropriate method. Expertise is required to translate the existence (or absence) of a chemical at a given level into operational insight.