Summary
Analytical chemistry is the discipline concerned with the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of matter. It spans sample preparation and separations (chromatography, microextractions, lab-on-chip systems), detection techniques (optical spectroscopies, mass spectrometry, electroanalysis) and data processing to extract reliable information on composition, structure and concentration. Over the past decade the field has moved towards miniaturised, automated and green workflows: microfluidic platforms reduce reagent use and enable high-throughput assays; ambient and soft-ionisation methods allow direct analysis of complex matrices; and AI-driven chemometrics accelerate method development and feature extraction. Global challenges—from food and environmental safety to clinical diagnostics and materials characterisation—rely on sensitive, portable and robust analytical tools. Recent trends emphasise integrated devices, ultrahigh-sensitivity sensors and real-time, on-site analysis, forging a nexus between fundamental instrumental innovation and practical applications across industry, academia and regulation.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A wide-energy programmable microwave plasma ionisation system has been developed that digitally tunes ionisation energy in real time, covering polar biomolecules, non-polar organics and trace metals in a single analysis. By scanning programmed waveforms, the method achieves rapid, multiplexed detection in a drop of serum or soil extract, seamlessly interfaced with liquid chromatography for quantification of diverse analyte classes.
A visualization-enhanced under-oil open microfluidic reactor for in situ Raman monitoring of multiphase reactions integrates a semi-transparent silicon nanolayer beneath the oil interface. This design suppresses substrate-related noise and preserves gas permeability, enabling label-free, real-time characterisation of gas-evolving and gas–liquid processes with high spatial resolution and clog-free operation.
Topic trend for the past 5 years
The graph below shows the article count in Nature Index journals for analytical chemistry.
* The ‘Current Index’ represents data for a 12-month rolling window, the current window is 1 May 2025 - 30 April 2026.
Technical terms
Microfluidics: The manipulation of microlitre- to picolitre-scale fluids within networks of channels tens of micrometres wide for rapid, reagent-efficient analyses.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS): A vibrational spectroscopy technique that exploits plasmonic nanostructures to amplify Raman signals by orders of magnitude, enabling ultratrace detection.
Mass Spectrometry (MS): An analytical method that ionises sample components and separates the resulting ions by mass-to-charge ratio for identification and quantification of molecules or elements.
Ambient Ionization: Ion-generation approaches performed at atmospheric pressure with little or no sample preparation, facilitating direct analysis of complex matrices in their native state.
Notable articles in analytical chemistry
- Wide-energy programmable microwave plasma-ionization for high-coverage mass spectrometry analysis. Nature Communications (2024).
- Visualization-enhanced under-oil open microfluidic system for in situ characterization of multi-phase chemical reactions. Nature Communications (2024).
- Manipulation of Gaseous Ions with Acoustic Fields at Atmospheric Pressure. Journal of the American Chemical Society (2024).
About these summaries
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Research
Position of Analytical Chemistry in Nature Index by Count
Leading institutions
| Institution | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) | 231 | 82.58 |
| Xiamen University (XMU) | 49 | 28.58 |
| Dalian University of Technology (DUT) | 34 | 23.01 |
| University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) | 105 | 22.33 |
| Hunan University (HNU) | 34 | 21.77 |
| Zhejiang University (ZJU) | 48 | 21.27 |
| University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) | 66 | 21.19 |
| Nanjing University (NJU) | 54 | 20.54 |
| Tsinghua University | 57 | 19.21 |
| Central South University (CSU) | 30 | 18.27 |
Leading countries/territories
| Countries/territories | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1290 | 1213.81 |
| United States of America (USA) | 327 | 238.32 |
| Germany | 130 | 82.74 |
| Japan | 92 | 60 |
| South Korea | 82 | 52.35 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 81 | 37.94 |
| India | 45 | 31.64 |
| France | 64 | 29.54 |
| Switzerland | 52 | 26.82 |
| Canada | 42 | 25.2 |
Collaboration
Top 5 leading collaborators in Analytical Chemistry
Collaborating institutions
Note: Hover over the bars to view details about each institution's Share.
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