Want to know how our analysis methods can support your research in chemistry and applied chemistry? Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a professor, we’ve put together a selection of relevant application examples – covering a wide range of chemistry research areas including applied chemistry, forensic science, inorganic and organic chemistry, and polymer chemistry.
Chemistry and applied chemistry research covers a huge range of application areas. What’s more, the materials researched and analytical equipment used overlap significantly with Biological Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and Pharmaceutical Sciences. So, feel free to check out those pages for additional information! Otherwise, take a look at these examples to see how we can support your chemistry education, research, and practice. The method abbreviations are explained at the bottom of this page.
Take a look at our characterization toolkit brochures!
If you're looking for a handy guide to the products and solutions that we offer, why not download one of these characterization toolkit brochures?
We've created one for materials and one for life sciences. Each brochure gives a quick view of what the different products are called, what they are used for and why we think you'll like them.
If you are wondering about other analytical methods that are used in inorganic chemistry, take a look at this brochure about MOFs or catalysts. The principles are the same for many complex inorganics and reading about the different techniques might give you some ideas.
Applied chemistry
Applied chemistry encompasses a vast range of subjects. Some of the more common industrial applications include:
- Detergents
- Batteries
- Catalysts
- Inks
- Textiles
- Polymers
Applied chemists often need to consider process engineering and formulation, and may have to deal with chemicals in several forms, including powders, granules, suspensions, solutions, and exotic mixtures. Below, we’ve put together a selection of application notes and articles on applied chemistry topics. Take a look to find out more!
Applied Chemistry | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Catalysts - sample preparation for XRF/ICP | SPE | Alumino-silicate, zeolites | |
Catalysts - residual impurities | XRF | Residual catalyst impurities in carbon nanotubes (Si, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Br, Sr, Mo, C) | Easy, cost-effective and non‑destructive quantification of carbon nanotubes |
Catalysts - particle size | LD | Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Catalysts | Analysis of catalyst materials using laser diffraction particle size analysis |
Catalysts (recycling) - elemental composition | XRF | Pt, Pd, and Rh | Zetium - Trace analysis of Pt, Ph and Rh in automotive catalysts |
Catalysts (recycling) - sample preparation for ICP | SPE | Pt, Pd, Rh in automotive catalysts | |
Colloidal gold - particle size, aggregation | DLS | Colloidal Gold | Characterization of Colloidal Gold Using Dynamic Light Scattering |
Detergents - demicellization | ITC | Nonionic detergent n decyl-ß D Maltoside (DM) zwitterionic detergent 3 ([3 cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonium)-2 hydroxy-1 propane sulfonate (CHAPSO) | Analysis of demicellization data from isothermal titration calorimetry |
Detergents - size, Zeta potential | ELS / DLS | Surfactant assembly as micelles, soaps, and detergents | |
Emulsions - droplet size | LD | Typical emulsion (discussion rather than data) | Controlling droplet size in emulsions using on-line particle size analysis |
Ferrofluids - particle size, aggregation | DLS | Ferrofluids: coated and uncoated nanoparticles of Ferric Oxide in hexane | Ferrofluids: Characterisation Using Dynamic Light Scattering |
Latex standards - particle size, Zeta potential | ELS / DLS | Latex standards | Effect of Angle on Resolving Particle Size Mixtures Using Dynamic Light Scattering |
Lipase - particle size, Zeta potential | ELS / DLS | Enzyme Candida rugosa lipase, perfluorinated surfactants Krytox FSL™ and KDP 4606 from Dupont in perfluoro methyl-cyclohexane solvent | Size determination of a modified Lipase soluble in Perfluorinated solvents |
Micelles - hydrodynamic size, Zeta potential | ELS / DLS | Soluble complexes of PDADMAC with mixed micelles of SDS and TX-102 | Influence of Temperature on Micelle-Polyelectrolyte Complexes |
Micelles - shape and size | SAXS | Micelles: Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous KCl solution | Performance validation of ScatterX78 against a weakly scattering sample |
Micelles - size, concentration, aggregation | DLS | Surfactant micelles, Triton XL-80, Triton X-100, Tween 20, Tween 80, nonidet P40 | Surfactant micelle characterization using dynamic light scattering |
Micelles - micellization temperature | DLS | Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene oxide (PPO) PEO-PPO-PEO | Critical micellization temperature determination using multi-angle dynamic light scattering |
Micronized powders - particle size | LD | Green pigment, micronized lactose, | Measuring the particle size of small sample volumes using laser diffraction |
Minerals - particle size | LD | Barium Sulphate, Baryte | Watching paint dry: relating paint gloss to the particle size of extender pigments |
Minerals - Zeta potential | ELS | Titanium Dioxide | Zeta Potential Characterization of Concentrated Titanium Dioxide Slurries |
Minerals - particle size | LD | Titanium Dioxide | |
Minerals - particle size | DLS | Blue pigment from a bead mill | Monitoring pigment milling processes using Dynamic Light Scattering |
Nanoparticles - size vs temperature | XRD | Nanoceria (cerium oxide, CeO2) | |
Nanoparticles - size vs temperature | XRD | Nanoceria (cerium oxide, CeO2) | |
Nanoparticles - size vs time | XRD | Nanoceria (cerium oxide, CeO2) | |
Nanoparticles - particle and pore size | XRD | Titania nanopowder, aqueous dispersion colloidal silica, Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) +silica nanoparticles, porous silica | SAXS: Nanoparticle size distribution analysis on a multi-purpose X-ray diffractometer platform |
Non-ionic surfactant - phase change | SAXS | Non-ionic surfactant (TritonX-100, (poly(ethylene glycol)- tert-octylphenyl)) in deionized water | |
Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes - structural changes | DLS | Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes | Studying Structural Changes of Rod-like Nanoparticles Using Dynamic Light Scattering |
Powder coatings - particle size, Zeta potential | ELS / DLS | Epoxy polyester cathodic electrophoretic coating particle dispersions | Studying the stability of coating particles using the Zetasizer Nano |
Powder coatings - particle size distribution | LD | Thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer, polyester, polyurethane, epoxy, and epoxy-polyester hybrid powders, | Measuring the particle size distribution of powder coatings using laser diffraction |
Powders - particle size | LD | Carbon (milling) | |
Powders - particle size | Imaging | Toner | Rapid particle size and shape characterization of toners using the FPIA-3000 image analysis system |
Powders - particle size | LD | Toner: polyester (or previously carbon powder and iron oxide) | Applying image analysis to support the development of particle sizing methods |
Suspensions, polymer - particle size | LD | Inks | |
Suspensions, polymer - polymer size | GPC | Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), low-branching, medium-branching, high-branching | GPC/SEC analysis of polymer solutions used in inkjet printing |
Suspensions, polymer - particle size | LD | Inkjet inks | The measurement of ink jet inks using laser diffraction particle size analysis |
Suspensions, polymer - oversized particles | LD | Inkjet inks | Detecting over-sized particles in ink-jet inks using laser diffraction particle size analysis |
Suspensions, polymer - molecular weight | GPC | Inkjet polymers Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), low-branching, medium-branching, high-branching | GPC/SEC Analysis of Polymer Solutions Used in Inkjet Printing |
Sprays - particle size distribution | LD | Twin-fluid nozzle (Schlick 970S1) | |
Suspensions, mineral | ELS / DLS | Microcrystalline silicon dioxide | Suspension Stability: Why Particle Size, Zeta Potential and Rheology are Important |
Suspensions, non-aqueous | ELS / DLS | Carbon black in toluene, decane, chloroform, trichloroethane, tetrahydrofuran, butan-2-one and propan-2-ol | Non-aqueous zeta potential measurements of carbon black powders |
Suspensions, non-aqueous | ELS / DLS | Carbon black in Isopar G, inks, | Zeta Potential Measurements of Non-Aqueous Particulate Suspensions |
Forensic science
The core scientific disciplines of forensic science are shared with other chemistry subjects, as well as biological sciences. We’ve outlined the forensic-specific applications of our solutions in the table below. Enjoy exploring them!
Forensic Science | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Counterfeit drugs - overview | XRD | Various examples | The technological solution for combating counterfeit drugs - whitepaper |
Hoax Powders - identification, quantification | Imaging | Saccharin / dextrose and sucralose / dextrose | Forensic analysis of an artificial sweetener commonly employed in hoax powder attacks |
Narcotics - identification, quantification | XRD | Narcotics | |
Narcotics - identification and quantification | Imaging | Narcotics | Identify, quantify & characterize adulterants and diluents in illicit drugs using Morphologi G3-ID |
Toxins – elemental identification | XRF | Pb in paint film | |
Toxins – particle-phase identification and quantification | XRD | Respirable Silica |
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry research covers the understanding, synthesis, and identification of all inorganic materials – and one of its key components is crystallography. Our powder diffraction methods, such as Bragg-Brentano XRD and XRD performed under non-ambient conditions, play a significant role in this. Crystal phase identification and crystal structure refinement are the most common applications, while pair distribution function analysis is an increasingly popular way to investigate defective crystals and push the limits of inquiry.
Examples of XRD analysis in chemical crystallography are ubiquitous in research literature. We’ve selected just a few to show you – explore them for illustrations of the different analysis types!
Inorganic Chemistry | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Carbonates – particle size | LD | Calcium carbonate | Particle size analysis of calcium carbonates by laser diffraction |
Glasses - boron content | XRF | Boron in glass | |
Inorganic crystals - structure refinement | XRD | Fe(IO3)3. Fe(z) | |
Inorganic crystals - structure refinement | XRD | Olivine (e. g. LiMnPO4), arcanite (β-K2SO4), glaserite, tridymite, α-K2SO4, β-Na2SO4 and γ-Na2SO4 | AgCaVO4: structure solution from a benchtop X-ray powder diffractometer |
Spinels - pair distribution analysis | XRD | Nano-spinel ZnAl2O4 |
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry has a wide-ranging application field – sharing analysis methods with polymer science, petrochemical engineering, and biochemistry. Check out those sections for further application examples! Here, we’ve put together a selection of application notes particularly relevant to organic chemistry research and development.
Organic Chemistry | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Micelles - size, concentration, aggregation | DLS | Triton X-100 (polyoxyethylene p-t-octylphenol), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), in NaCl, | |
Polymer mix - mix fractions | GPC | Polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) | |
Polymers - molecular weight | GPC | PET, PBT, Nylon | |
Urea formaldehyde - particle size | LD | Urea-formaldehyde | Is your sample dispersing or milling? Hydro Sight’s in-line insight |
Polymer chemistry
The core scientific disciplines of polymer chemistry are part of polymer science. In particular, it overlaps with polymer engineering – take a look at Materials Science and Engineering for those examples. Otherwise, check out the polymer chemistry research articles and application examples below to find out more!
Polymer Chemistry | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Additives - elemental concentration | XRF | Additive elements in plastics and polyolefinic polymers, | |
Additives - elemental concentration | XRF | Additives in polyethylene | Analysis of additives in polyethylene using the ADPOL standards |
Block copolymers - impurity detection | GPC | Block copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) PEG-b-PLA, | |
Block copolymers - intrinsic velocity and molecular weight | GPC | Polystyrene block with polybutadiene block or polyisoprene block | |
Copolymers - backbone modification | GPC | Methyl methacrylate-based copolymer structure | |
Copolymers - branching and molecular weight | GPC | Linear copolymer (low branching-, medium branching-, high branching) in THF | Characterization of branched copolymers by triple detection GPC |
Elastomers - intrinsic velocity and molecular weight | GPC | Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer (EPDM) elastomers in cyclohexane | |
Fluro-polyester - intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight | GPC | Fluoro-polyester (PMTFMA) in acetone and THF | Solvent Enhanced Light Scattering (SELS) of Fluoro-Polyester |
Medical Polymers - cleaving and molecular weight reduction | GPC | Medical-grade polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) | Effects of gamma-ray sterilization on high molecular weight PMMA for biomedical applications |
Nitrile Rubbers - hydrodynamic radius, intrinsic viscosity, and molecular weight | GPC | Acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers (NBR) | |
Nylon - intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight | GPC | Nylon in Formic Acid | GPC Characterization of Nylon using Formic Acid for Reduced Cost per Analysis |
Phenolic resins - molecular weight, coiling, and branching | GPC | Phenol formaldehyde resins | |
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) - polymer size vs temperature | DLS | Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) | |
Polyacrylamide - molecular weight and size | GPC | Polyacrylamide (PAAm) | Triple detection GPC of high molecular weight polyacrylamide |
Polycaprolactone - low molecular weights | GPC | Polystyrene, polycaprolactone, in THF | |
Polymer analysis by XRF - sample preparation | XRF | Polymer granules, chips, and powders | |
Polymer degradation - molecular weight | GPC | Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) degradation with grinding and printing | |
Polymers - introduction to DLS | DLS | Polystyrene, Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), | Characterization of polymers using light scattering techniques |
Polymers – Advanced Polymer Chromatography | GPC | NIST Polystyrene Standards, | |
Polymers - introduction to GPC | GPC | Polymers generally | |
Polymers - measurement accuracy by GPC | GPC | Polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylchloride (PVC) | How to maximize absolute molecular weight measurement accuracy: synthetic polymers |
Polystyrene - branching and molecular weight | GPC | Polystyrene (PS) | |
Polystyrene - branching and molecular weight | GPC | Polystyrene (PS) | Differentiation of polymer branching and composition using the Mark–Houwink plot |
Polystyrene - structure definition, branching | GPC | Polystyrene in Tetrahydrofuran (THF) | |
Polythiophenes - intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight | GPC | Polythiophenes in THF | |
PS and PMMA - blend analysis | GPC | Polystyrene (PS) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) | |
PS and PMMA - introduction to GPC | GPC | Polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) | |
PTFE - Zeta potential | ELS | Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polycarbonate | |
PTFE - Zeta potential | ELS | Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface | |
PTFE and Latex - Zeta potential | ELS | Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface and latex particles in 1mM NaCl | Measuring Surface Zeta Potential using the Surface Zeta Potential Cell |
Purity - elemental analysis | XRF | Cr, Cd, Br, Hg, and Pb in polyolefin polymers | ROHS-3/WEEE/ELV analysis of polyolefins in accordance with ASTM F2617-15 |
Residues - elemental analysis | XRF | Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ca, Ti, and Zn catalyst residues in polymers | Analysis of additives and catalyst residues in polyethylene using ADPOL standards |
Residues - elemental analysis | XRF | Mg, Al, P, Ca, Ti, and Zn in polymers | Zetium - Trace element analysis of Mg, Al, P, Ca, Ti and Zn in polymers using Zetium |
PET resins - solution viscosity | GPC | Polyester terephthalate (PET) resins in two solvents, o-chlorophenol (OCP) and 3:2 Phenol:TCE | Dilute solution viscosity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) |
Thermoplastics - elemental analysis | XRF | Thermoplastics | |
Toxic elements - elemental concentrations | XRF | Lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, and bromine in PVC polymers | Polymer analysis in accordance with ASTM F2617-08 using PVC Calibration standards |
Toxic elements - elemental concentrations | XRF | Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Cd, Ba, Hg, and Pb in polyolefins (PE and PP) |
Abbreviations explained
Our products and technologies are described on the Products pages. Below you can find a quick reference to the properties measured by our instruments, together with the measurement name and its abbreviation. Click on each method to find out more about it!
Abbreviation | Method Name | Instrument(s) | Measured Property |
|---|---|---|---|
DLS | Zetasizer | Molecular size, hydrodynamic radius RH, particle size, size distribution, stability, concentration, agglomeration | |
ELS | Zetasizer | Zeta potential, particle charge, suspension stability, protein mobility | |
ITC | MicroCal ITC | Binding affinity, thermodynamics of molecular reactions in solution | |
DSC | Microcal DSC | Denaturing (unfolding) of large molecules, stability of macromolecules | |
GCI | Creoptix WAVEsystem | Real-time binding kinetics and binding affinity, label free with fluidics | |
IMG | Morphologi 4 | Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement | |
MDRS | Morphologi 4-ID | Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement, chemical identification and contaminant detection | |
LD | Mastersizer
| Particle size, size distribution | |
NTA | NanoSight | Particle size, size distribution, and concentration | |
SEC or GPC | Size exclusion chromatography / | OMNISEC | Molecular size, molecular weight, oligomeric state, polymer or protein size and molecular structure |
SPE | Le Neo
| Fused Bead Sample preparation for XRF, Peroxide solution preparations for ICP, Flux weighing for beadmaking | |
UV/ Vis/ NIR/ SWIR | Ultra-violet / visible / near infra-red / short wave infra-red spectrometry | LabSpec
| Material identification and analysis, moisture, mineral, carbon content. Ground truthing for airborne and satellite spectroscopic techniques. |
PFTNA | CNA | In-line elemental analysis | |
XRD-C | Aeris
| Molecular crystal structure refinement, crystalline phase identification and quantification, crystalline to amorphous ratio, crystallite size analysis | |
XRD-M | Empyrean
| Residual stress, texture | |
XRD-CT | Empyrean | 3D imaging of solids, porosity, and density | |
SAXS | Empyrean | Nanoparticles, size, shape and structure | |
GISAXS | Empyrean | Nanostructured thin films and surfaces | |
HR-XRD | Empyrean
| Thin-films and epitaxial multilayers, composition, strain, thickness, quality | |
XRR | Empyrean
| Thin films and surfaces, film thickness, surface and interface roughness | |
XRF | Epsilon
| Elemental composition, elemental concentration, trace elements, contaminant detection |