Analytical Chemistry
A Primer
Please note that a Solutions Manual is available for free to any instructor (with a verifiabIe email/academic appointment). More details are in the Preface to the Primer which is accessible on the Amazon website. If you are an instructor of analytical chemistry (i.e., quantitative analysis) or use an existing analytical chemistry textbook in your course, please consider serving as a reviewer for The Primer(!). We will send you a copy of the textbook and post your review on this site and our official website (https://dgs125.wixsite.com/analytical-chemistry). All profits are donated to nonprofit organizations but we can provide some enticement (let’s talk!).
Review by Carlos N Pacheco (7 June 2025)
NMR Lab Manager and Senior University Lecturer
Chemistry and Environmental Science
New Jersey Institute of Technology
More reviews just received (2 June 2025)!
George G. Glavin, Ph.D.
R&D Manager, Materials Characterization
SAINT-GOBAIN RESEARCH NORTH AMERICA
9 Goddard Rd • Northborough, MA • USA
Analytical Chemistry – A Primer book: The recently self-published book by Dan Sykes and Balwant Chohan is an excellent addition to anyone teaching analytical chemistry as well as a refresher for those who deal with analytical chemistry in the real world. Being a primer might suggest the book provides basic information on the subject matter; however it can easily be adapted as low-cost course text.
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The book has only seven chapters laid out in a logical order, each written in a succinct comprehensive style, with compelling connections to the world around us, and some standard experiments that are conducted in an analytical chemistry course. The chapters are as follows: (1) Methods of Quantitation, Statistics, and Data Management. (2) Spectrophotometry. (3) Basic Approach to Solution Equilibria. (4) Acid Base Equilibria. (5) Complexation Equilibria. (6) Electrochemistry. (7) Analytical Separations and Chromatography. A preceding chapter covers Prerequisite material that includes basic stoichiometric and concentration calculations, statistics, and the basis of spectroscopy and electrochemistry. This essential background is presented in a brief but meaningful manner setting the scene for the consecutive chapters.
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There are a great many in-chapter and end-of-chapter illustrative problems, with thorough explanations and an additional detailed answer book that is available for free from the authors. The last chapter covers the very basic aspects of chromatography, which is sufficient for second or third year chemistry students; however, this is an area that can be greatly expanded on, perhaps a suggestion for the next edition. Another suggestion for the next edition would be an alphabetical index.
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Overall, the writing is down to earth and flows well. All the appropriate chemical formulae are mentioned with considerable depth in the discussion. The material covered is easily adaptable to the audience, from the novice to the more able student, or even a professional. This book will certainly help students learn the fundamental ideas of analytical chemistry, it is readable and engaging. In addition, it will consolidate what they know and enhance the connections and common threads between the topics that students often struggle to make. In summary, the analytical chemistry concepts are presented very well and succinctly explained. If you are looking for direct answers with a multitude of practice questions, at an amazingly affordable price, then this is the book of choice.
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Brian R. Strohmeier, Ph.D.
President – Pittcon 2027
Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition
The book Analytical Chemistry A Primer by Sykes and Chohan serves as an excellent supplemental text for faculty teaching and students studying an assortment of traditional undergraduate analytical chemistry subjects. The book is written in the form of a self-study guide to help students gain additional knowledge and reinforce concepts learned from classroom instructor lectures, instructor-provided lecture notes, and conventional introductory analytical chemistry textbooks. The extensive sensible exercises presented in the Primer allow students to practice and develop useful critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in a wide variety of useful analytical topics. The admirable goal of the authors is to expand the student’s ability to use their knowledge of analytical chemistry in an insightful manner to solve difficult real-world problems in novel ways as opposed to simple memorization and regurgitation of standard straightforward questions and answers.
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The 386-page Primer begins with a Prerequisite section that reviews general concepts and skills that students would be expected to have previously mastered in a general chemistry course. Following the Prerequisite section, the analytical subjects covered include: 1) Methods of Quantitation, Statistics, and Data Management; 2) Spectrophotometry; 3) Solution, Acid-Base, Complexation, and Electrochemical Equilibria; and 4) Analytical Separations and Chromatography. Each of these diverse sections contains background information on theory and applications plus multiple examples of challenging problems along with detailed conceptual solutions. The extensive use of detailed figures, graphs, tables, and equations greatly facilitates the explanation of these complex analytical themes.
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A substantial number of demanding unsolved problems are presented at the end of each section of the Primer for students to practice and demonstrate what they have learned. The authors point out that students can eventually find the solutions to the unsolved questions online, but prefer that students refrain from online “cheat sites” and instead develop their own personal solution manuals by participating in small group problem-solving sessions. The authors kindly will provide a solution manual free of charge by email to requestors holding a verifiable academic appointment and academic institutional email address from a post-secondary institution.
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It is the opinion of this reviewer that the authors of Analytical Chemistry A Primer have succeeded in providing analytical faculty and students with a valuable user-friendly resource for teaching and learning fundamental concepts and methods in many diverse important areas of analytical chemistry. This book is highly recommended to all students striving to hone their analytical knowledge and skills and to all instructors seeking to challenge their students to fully develop as critically-thinking analytical scientists.
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Dr. Rose Clark
Professor of Chemistry. Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA.
Currently the Marketing Chair (2026) for the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon®)
“Analytical Chemistry A Primer” is an excellent addition to our study materials to help our students improve their performance in class. The book is an ideal resource for beginner students of analytical chemistry and those in more advanced courses requiring an overview. The in-depth topic coverage and example problems will help our students to learn at a deeper level. With our current course lectures, homework, and this book with additional explanations and practice problems, our students will be better prepared to master analytical chemistry.
Dr. Melinda Stephens
Provost and Professor of Chemistry. Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA.
Most recently (2024) the President of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon®)
"Analytical Chemistry: A Primer" by Sykes and Chohan emerges as a thoughtfully structured and accessible resource. Although designed to be a supplement to more traditional textbooks in Analytical Chemistry, this resource may also serve as the primary text for a one-semester introductory quantitative analysis course. The book's logical organization, beginning with essential general chemistry concepts, ensures a solid foundation for students. Covering key analytical techniques such as statistics, spectrophotometry, titrations (acid-base and complexometric), electrochemistry, and chromatography, the authors provide straightforward explanations of complex ideas. The inclusion of sample problems at the end of each study guide, complemented by an available solutions manual, further enhances its value for students seeking clarity and practice.
Most recent review on Amazon (20 Jan 2025): As an educator, I bought "Analytical Chemistry A Primer" book. I found the text was well written, examples are easy to follow and gives insight into understanding the reasoning involved in solving the problem in the example. The figures align with the text subject matter illustrating details through visual language. While advancing the topic of analytical chemistry (quantitative analysis), there are reviews of general chemistry topics to help the student prepare for the next topic. Very few authors are so considerate of the reader. For those interested in additional instruction from Dr. Sykes, see LinkedIn “Weekly Analytical Chemistry Challenge” postings to showcase his excellent teaching.
Paperback ISBN13: 979-8332562921 ($35.00 US)
Ebook ASIN or ID: B0D96KTW42 (Amazon), 1230008541826 (Kobo) ($9.99 US)
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​Over the past twenty years, a loose collection of lecture notes and scribblings transformed into the textbook "Analytical Chemistry: A Primer." An important motivation for creating the self-published textbook (electronic and paperback versions) was to provide students and faculty with a low-cost resource for learning and teaching the fundamental concepts in analytical chemistry. One major theme in Dan and Bal's 15+-year collaboration has been the development of instructional materials which guide instructors and students in constructing low-cost, low-power, small, mobile instruments for laboratory enhancement (i.e., the SMILE program) - a program focused on improving students' skills and competencies in the lab whilst serving as a model of sustainable (i.e., budget friendly) innovation. The focus of the primer is on classroom instruction.
​​​The Analytical Chemistry Primer was written to provide students and faculty a low-cost resource for learning and teaching the fundamental concepts in analytical chemistry. The scope of concepts has been limited to 1) methods of quantitation, statistics, and data management, 2) acid-base, complexation, and electrochemical equilibria, 3) spectroscopy, and 4) separations and chromatography.
Although the classic solution equilibria approach to quantify analytes has largely been supplanted by instrumental methods, there are still many examples where equilibria-based methods are simpler, faster, and as accurate. Further, sample preparation and instrument parameter optimization are often necessary steps in any analytical procedure, most of which, are rooted in the fundamental concepts of solution equilibria.
How we use the Primer
Lecture topics are aligned with the major sections and subsections in the Primer. The first lecture in each topic is a fun lecture. For example, the introductory lecture for electrochemistry is a story about its fascinating origins and historical developments in a talk entitled, "From Franklin to Frankenstein" (see Sykes, D. and Morrisson, M. (2017) Chemistry of Literature, Literature of Chemistry: Developing and Promoting a Course for the Humanities and Natural Sciences. In ACS Symposium Series: Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom; G. Crawford and K. Kloepper (Eds.); Oxford University Press: Washington, DC, 2017, 11-25. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2017-1266.ch002). The second lecture provides an introduction to the terminology, a review of concepts students are expected to know from prior courses, and an initial instructor led classroom problem-solving session. Students are not required to have read the Study Guide prior to the first two lectures.
We often tell our students that employers (incl. graduate faculty preceptors) are not hiring employees to provide known answers to solved problems but are searching for inquisitive team members who ask novel questions and take the initiative to find solutions to those questions. So, a major objective of the course is to mentor students in developing their critical thinking skills. The questions at the end of each study guide/chapter are designed to be challenging and require time, experience, and guidance to solve (not all questions are intense, there are some plug-and-chug type questions, too).
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We guide the students in solving the end-of-study guide (EOSG) questions using two approaches:
1. Most lectures incorporate either a whole-class discussion or a small group discussion of a set of EOSG questions or both. Classroom discussions are led by students directing the instructor through each step in the problem-solving process and moving forward once consensus is reached on each step or, as appropriate, we come to agreement upon a particular numerical value. Alternatively, students self-assemble into small groups (3 to 4 students per group) to work on one or more EOSG questions and members of the instructional team rotate through the groups to facilitate group progress and answer questions.
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2. We offer multiple (typically, four) 1.5-hour long early evening workshops each week for 10 weeks. The workshops are akin to recitations but we do not have "official" recitations. To encourage students to attend and participate in a workshop, they can earn up to 5 extra credit points each week (attending multiple workshops in a given week does not earn a student more than 5 points). Students can earn a maximum of 50 extra credit points during the semester - points which can erase the negative impact of a poor exam performance. Statistics show that students who attend lectures and at least one workshop per week gain a 5% per week advantage in exam scores over students who did not attend a workshop - for example, attending one weekly workshop for three weeks plus attending all lectures results -on average- in an exam score 15% higher than students who attended lecture but did not attend any workshop. Students quickly learn that engaging the course improves their understanding and their performance. By the fourth week of the semester, over 90% of the students attend a weekly workshop.
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Each workshop contains 10 EOSG questions and each workshop is themed to one of the major course topics:
Workshop 1: Methods of Quantitation
Workshop 2: Spectrophotometry
Workshop 3: Basic Equilibria
Workshops 4 and 5: Acid-Base Equilibria
Workshop 6: Complexation​​
Workshops 7 and 8: Electrochemistry
Workshop 9: Separations
Workshop 10: Chromatography
