Chemical identifying equipment

[Jason_b]

Hello,

 

I was speaking to a professor at a university and we were discussing identifying different chemicals. He said there is equipment to identify different chemicals. He said that every substance in the universe has a different number and that you can get equipment which will identify each chemical and give you the number for it.

 

What is the name of this equipment?

[John Cuthber]

He's wrong.

[hypervalent_iodine]

You seem to be asking about two separate things. By number, I can only assume you mean CAS number, but these certainly don't cover every compound in the universe. That would be an absurd and impossible task. Figuring out the CAS number of a known compound only requires that you have access to the Internet.

 

Equipment for identifying or characterising a compound is something very different, and there is no one thing that would do this. There are very many techniques chemists use, and which of those you emlpoy depends on the compound, and your knowledge of what it is already.

[Jason_b]

In terms of off-the-shelf, commercially available chemical analysis equipment, what is available?

 

Something that is not too idustrial something not really designed for universities or big companies. Something that does not cost thousands of pounds.

 

I am looking for something readily available and affordable.

[hypervalent_iodine]

In terms of off-the-shelf, commercially available chemical analysis equipment, what is available?

Something that is not too idustrial something not really designed for universities or big companies. Something that does not cost thousands of pounds.

I am looking for something readily available and affordable.

To do what, exactly? Pretty much any decent piece of equipment for analysis will run you into the many thousands of dollars.

[studiot]

Was this a serious question or just idle daydreaming?

 

One of the most basic and elementary things we learn in Chemistry is the classification of 'substances' into pure compounds and mixtures.

 

Do you understand this and further what the terms homogeneous and amorphous mean?

 

Analytical Chemistry is a huge branch of the subject so perhaps if you would put some effort into explaining what you really mean someone might be able to help you.

 

+1 to sensei for his guess as to your intentions.

Hello,

I was speaking to a professor at a university and we were discussing identifying different chemicals. He said there is equipment to identify different chemicals. He said that every substance in the universe has a different number and that you can get equipment which will identify each chemical and give you the number for it.

What is the name of this equipment?

 

In terms of off-the-shelf, commercially available chemical analysis equipment, what is available?

Something that is not too idustrial something not really designed for universities or big companies. Something that does not cost thousands of pounds.

I am looking for something readily available and affordable.

Edited May 7, 2017 by studiot

[Sensei]

I was speaking to a professor at a university and we were discussing identifying different chemicals. He said there is equipment to identify different chemicals. He said that every substance in the universe has a different number and that you can get equipment which will identify each chemical and give you the number for it.

 

What is the name of this equipment?

It sounds to me that he was talking about mass-spectrometer to layman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry

 

But he overestimated it ("every substance in the universe"), or you misunderstood/misinterpret what he said.

 

Mass-spectrometer can tell you what is mass of compound, and what elements are constituents of compound.

f.e. if you place Gold in mass-spectrometer it will tell you whether it's 14, 18 or 24 carat Gold, and tell you what metal is secondary in alloy.

But couple different compounds can have the same mass, and the same formula. f.e. glucose and fructose have the same chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₆

Edited May 7, 2017 by Sensei

[John Cuthber]

 

 

f.e. if you place Gold in mass-spectrometer it will tell you whether it's 14, 18 or 24 carat Gold,

Most of the mas specs I have seen have components made of gold.

If you dissolve the gold in a acid, then atomise and vapourise it while heating it to 10000 degrees, then feed it into a mass spec it will tell you what's there.

And, of course, if you do that to a cabbage it will also be smashed down mainly to the individual elements so, for example, you won't be able to measure DDT residues in the cabbage.

 

It's not simple; there is no single method.

[CharonY]

Hello,

 

I was speaking to a professor at a university and we were discussing identifying different chemicals. He said there is equipment to identify different chemicals. He said that every substance in the universe has a different number and that you can get equipment which will identify each chemical and give you the number for it.

 

What is the name of this equipment?

 

Do you maybe mean elements or elementary composition?

 

It sounds to me that he was talking about mass-spectrometer to layman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry

 

But he overestimated it ("every substance in the universe"), or you misunderstood/misinterpret what he said.

 

Mass-spectrometer can tell you what is mass of compound, and what elements are constituents of compound.

f.e. if you place Gold in mass-spectrometer it will tell you whether it's 14, 18 or 24 carat Gold, and tell you what metal is secondary in alloy.

But couple different compounds can have the same mass, and the same formula. f.e. glucose and fructose have the same chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₆

 

There are a host of different mas specs such as ICP-MS with which you can look at metals or various MS and MS/MS with soft ionization suitable for organic compounds. Typically (but not exclusively) the ionization source determines what you can analyze, where as the analyzer itself determines how accurate you measurements (in qualitative and quantitative terms) are going to be. But with complex compounds the Id becomes more and more complicated, especially in mixtures.