Analytical chemistry is a sub-division of chemistry that focuses on the development of novel qualitative and quantitative measurement techniques that are used to explore chemical samples and thereby advance our understanding of fundamental processes in science and technology.

Historically, the field of analytical chemistry was categorized in terms of basic instrumental tools such as electrochemistry, optical spectroscopy, separations, and mass spectrometry. Modern analytical chemistry tends to be organized more around interdisciplinary research areas in biology, environmental science, and materials science. Faculty in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Iowa exploit analytical chemistry tools to advance both science and technology innovations in computational methods, magnetism, medicine, nanomaterials, and semiconductor devices.