Chapter 8

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355Chapter 8Gravimetric MethodsChapter Overview8A Overview of Gravimetric Methods8B Precipitation Gravimetry8C Volatilization Gravimetry8D Particulate Gravimetry8E Key Terms8F Chapter Summary8G Problems8H Solutions to Practice ExercisesGravimetry includes all analytical methods in which the analytical signal is a measurement of mass or a change in mass. When you step on a scale after exercising you are making, in a sense, a gravimetric determination of your mass. Mass is the most fundamental of all analytical measurements, and gravimetry is unquestionably our oldest quantitative analytical technique. The publication in 1540 of Vannoccio Biringuccio s Pirotechnia is an early example of applying gravimetry although not yet known by this name to the analysis of metals and Although gravimetry no longer is the most important analytical method, it continues to find use in specialized Smith, C. S.; Gnodi, M. T. translation of Biringuccio, V.

8B.1 Theory and Practice All precipitation gravimetric analysis share two important attributes. First, the precipitate must be of low solubility, of high purity, and of known com-position if its mass is to accurately reflect the analyte’s mass. Second, the precipitate must be easy to separate from the reaction mixture.

  Theory