analysis, pi. anal'yses

(an-al'i-sis) [G. a, releasing, di olving.] The decomposition or breaking up of a chemical compound into its simpler elements; a proce by which the natiure of a substance, is recognized and its chemical composition determined, color i met'ric a., determination of structure by means of chromatic reactions, densimet'ric a., estimation of the amount of solids in a solution by the specific gravity, gravimefric a., quantitative a. by weighing separately each constituent, as such or in the form of a compound of known gravimetric constitution, prox'imate a., the resolution of a substance into its secondary principles, as of a salt into the acid and the base which form it; opposed to ultimate a. qual'itative a., the determination of the nature of the elements entering into the composition of any substance, quan'- titatiye a., the determination of the amount, as well as the nature, of each of the elements composing a substance, spec'trum a., determination of the components of a gas by means of the spectroscope, ul'timate a., the resolution of a substance into the various elements composing it; opposed to proximate a. volumet'ric a., quantitative a. by the addition of graduated amounts of a standard test solution to a solution of a known weight of the substance analyzed, until the reaction is just at an end.