chemistry

Quality of analytical results

Quality of analytical results is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Quality of analytical results rather than just read about it. In short: Quality of measurements made in chemistry and other areas is an important issue in today's world as measurements influence quality of life, cross-border trade and commerce. In this respect, EN ISO 17025 is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories as to appropriately tackle quality management related issues.

Key takeaways

Quality of analytical results belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Quality of analytical results to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Quality of analytical results from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Quality of measurements made in chemistry and other areas is an important issue in today's world as measurements influence quality of life, cross-border trade and commerce. In this respect, EN ISO 17025 is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories as to appropriately tackle quality management related issues. While chapter four of the standard deals with management requirements, chapter five describes requirements for technical competence. Management related issues can be found in other standards as well e.g. ISO 9000, however the technical requirements are specific for calibration and testing laboratories.

Technical requirements As for technical competence, the following topics are especially important:

sampling traceability of measurement result validation of measurement procedure measurement uncertainty participation in interlaboratory comparisons internal quality control. As it is important to have globally harmonised approach to the above-mentioned topics, various training and teaching material have been developed at the European level, as to support implementation e.g. by EURACHEM and by TrainMiC.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Quality of analytical results

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Quality of analytical results claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Quality of analytical results before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Quality of analytical results ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Quality of analytical results

In research: Quality of analytical results appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Quality of analytical results in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Quality of analytical results is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Analytical chemistry, Quality control, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Quality of analytical results outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Quality of analytical results in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Quality of analytical results means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Quality of analytical results out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Quality of analytical results in simple terms?

Why does Quality of analytical results matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Quality of analytical results?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Quality of analytical results.