microchemical
- adjective
- /ˌmaɪkroʊˈkɛmɪkəl/
- Specialized
- Microchemical (or spot) tests involve the diagnostic reaction of minute samples of the unknown substance with specific chemical reagents (Fig. 17).
- microchemical test
Examples
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Microchemical tests are a form of qualitative analysis used to identify the nature of a variety of materials, including metals, pigments, proteins, plastics, and salts.
Academic text (2003) -
Instrumental analyses provide more data on composition and may be used to corroborate results from microchemical tests.
Academic text (2003) -
Microchemical test for lead NMAfA Conservation Photo Archives.
Academic text (2003) -
In the laboratory, scientists performed a microchemical analysis to determine the composition of the unknown sample.
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The microchemical tests allowed researchers to identify trace elements in the conservation materials effectively.
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By using microchemical techniques, they were able to analyze tiny quantities of substances with great precision.
Synonyms
1
6.0
Used to describe very small sizes or amounts in science
Showing very careful study of very small details
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
microchemical = chemical (transparent) = micro + chem + ical
The word is transparently built from micro- 'very small' plus chemical, yielding the meaning 'chemical in very small amounts'.
Etymology
Microchemical is made of micro- ('small') and chemical (like 'chemistry'), so it literally means 'small chemistry'. Think of common words such as microphone or microscope, where micro- means 'tiny', and that's why microchemical describes chemical tests or reactions done with very tiny amounts of a substance.