Introduction

Abstract

The purpose of qualitative analysis is the discovery of the essential nature of the object under investigation. A procedure of qualitative analysis, which shall be useful in actual analytical practice, must be generally applicable. It must give information without regard whether the object is a mixture or a pure substance; rare or common; simple or complex; organized, organic or inorganic; and whether it is known and described or as yet “unknown” and not yet mentioned in the literature. In addition to this, the procedure must be applicable to very small amounts of sample since qualitative analysis is frequently needed to determine the nature of minute objects.