Proficiency Testing In Analytical Chemistry

This book deals exclusively and comprehensively with the role of proficiency testing in the quality assurance of analytical data. It covers in detail proficiency testing schemes from the perspectives of scheme organisers, participant laboratories and the ultimate end-users of analytical data. A wide variety of topics are addressed including the organisation, effectiveness, applicability, and the costs and benefits of proficiency testing. Procedures for the evaluation and interpretation of laboratory proficiency, and the relation of proficiency testing to other quality assurance measures are also discussed. Proficiency Testing in Analytical Chemistry is an important addition to the literature on proficiency testing and is essential reading for practising analytical chemists and all organisations and individuals with an interest in the quality of analytical data.

Analytical chemical results touch everyones lives can we eat the food? do I have a disease? did the defendant leave his DNA at the crime scene? should I invest in that gold mine? When a chemist measures something how do we know that the result is appropriate? What is fit for purpose in the context of analytical chemistry? Many manufacturing and service companies have embraced traditional statistical approaches to quality assurance, and these have been adopted by analytical chemistry laboratories. However the right chemical answer is never known, so there is not a direct parallel with the manufacture of ball bearings which can be measured and assessed. The customer of the analytical services relies on the quality assurance and quality control procedures adopted by the laboratory. It is the totality of the QA effort, perhaps first brought together in this text, that gives the customer confidence in the result. QA in the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory takes the reader through all aspects of QA, from the statistical basics and quality control tools to becoming accredited to international standards. The latest understanding of concepts such as measurement uncertainty and metrological traceability are explained for a working chemist or her client. How to design experiments to optimize an analytical process is included, together with the necessary statistics to analyze the results. All numerical manipulation and examples are given as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that can be implemented on any personal computer. Different kinds of interlaboratory studies are explained, and how a laboratory is judged in proficiency testing schemes is described. Accreditation to ISO 17025 or OECD GLP is nearly obligatory for laboratories of any pretension to quality. Here the reader will find an introduction to the requirements and philosophy of accreditation. Whether completing a degree course in chemistry or working in a busy analytical laboratory, this book is a single source for an introduction into quality assurance.

The second edition defines the tools used in QA/QC, especially the application of statistical tools during analytical data treatment. Clearly written and logically organized, it takes a generic approach applicable to any field of analysis. The authors begin with the theory behind quality control systems, then detail validation parameter measurements, the use of statistical tests, counting the margin of error, uncertainty estimation, traceability, reference materials, proficiency tests, and method validation. New chapters cover internal quality control and equivalence method, changes in the regulatory environment are reflected throughout, and many new examples have been added to the second edition.

Quality Assurance in Chemical Measurement, an advanced EURACHEM textbook, provides in-depth but easy-to-understand coverage for training, teaching and continuing studies. The CD-ROM accompanying the book contains course materials produced by ten experienced specialists, including more than 750 overheads (graphics and text) in ready-to-use PowerPoint® documents in English and German language. The book will serve as an advanced textbook for analytical chemistry students and professionals in industry and service labs and as a reference text and source of course materials for lecturers. The second edition has been completely revised according to the newest legislation.

Analytical chemical results touch everyone's lives: Can we eat the food? Do I have a disease? Did the defendant leave his DNA at the crime scene? Should I invest in that gold mine? When a chemist measures something, how do we know that the result is appropriate? What is "fit for purpose" in the context of analytical chemistry? Quality Assurance for the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory explains the practices that chemistry laboratories adopt so that we all can have confidence in the answers to these questions.

Principles of Analytical Chemistry gives readers a taste of what the field is all about. Using keywords of modern analytical chemistry, it constructs an overview of the discipline, accessible to readers pursuing different scientific and technical studies. In addition to the extremely easy-to-understand presentation, practical exercises, questions, and lessons expound a large number of examples.

How do you describe an analytical method, measure the purity of the new chemical that you have just synthesized, or report the proper units of measurement? For analytical chemists, the principal tool of the trade, or source of terms, is this book - the so-called Orange Book. First published in 1978, this latest edition takes into account the explosion of new analytical procedures and, at the same time, the diversity of techniques and the quality and performance characteristics of the procedures that are the focus of interest. The scope of analytical chemistry has widened, new types of instrumental techniques have emerged and automation has taken over. Answers can now be shared, not only on the chemical composition and structure of the sample, but also changes in composition and structure in space and time. New chapters on chemometrics, bio-analytical methods of analysis, and sample treatment and preparation have been added. The terminology of metrology and quality assurance is now up to date with the latest ISO and JCGM standards. This new volume will be an indispensable reference resource for the coming decade, revising and updating accepted terminology, and providing the official language of analytical chemistry.