Analysis in which substances are identified or classified on the basis of their chemical or physical properties, such as chemical reactivity, solubility, molecular weight, melting point, radiative properties (emission, absorption), mass spectra, nuclear half-life, etc.
See also: quantitative analysis
Source:
PAC, 1995, 67, 1699. 'Nomenclature in evaluation of analytical methods including detection and quantification capabilities (IUPAC Recommendations 1995)' on page 1701 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199567101699)