In the field of biomedical research and clinical chemistry, one can cite several examples like

spectral analysis of barbiturates, food poisons, presence of vanadium and arsenic in hair and
nails. The spectra of cobalt in vitamin B12, iron in hemoglobin of blood after their isolation by
electrophoresis or gel permeation.

Patients suffering from tuberculosis when diagnosed with para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS)
invariably showed elevated serum levels of the intracellular enzyme serum-glutamic-oxaloacetictransaminase (SGOT) which was initially considered and treated as a drug-induced hepatic
toxicity.

Advances in medicine and public health would not be possible without chemical analysis. An
enormous number of chemical analyses is made daily in the laboratories of hospitals for purposes
of diagnosis and treatment. Analyses of blood, urine and others are absolutely essential in order
that proper treatment may be prescribed. An excess or deficiency of sugar, calcium, potassium,
iodine or other substances may be the cause of a pathological condition. Poisons may be
identifies by analysis and often their source is indicated.

One application of instrumental methods is the determination of what drugs a person has taken
24 hours after the person took them. In a procedure detailed by Thomas P. Moyer at the Mayo
Clinic, a 5 ml sample of the patients blood is analyzed by a technique called high performance
liquid chromatography.

Measuring the active ingredients in medicines show the amounts of the different ingredients. For
example, iron tablets may contain 200 mg of iron or a painkiller may contain 500 mg of
paracetamol.
Measuring the active ingredients in medicines can be achieved by titration and other
simple laboratory techniques. But these are not reliable enough especially when working with
medicines that are needed in micrograms or where an overdose might be harmful. Quality
control in the pharmaceutical industry is ensured in a number of ways. The precise quantities of
ingredients for any batch of medicine are measured and recorded. Then random samples from
each batch are selected and tested. The tablets or other medicines are crushed if necessary and
dissolved in a known solvent often methanol. This is filtered and then diluted. Standard solutions
are made accurately using pure active drug to a precise concentration. Both the random samples
and the standard solution are passed through a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)
and the quantities are compared.
HPLC is widely used to check the quantities of active ingredients in medicines. The result of this
process show if the average content of the medicine lies within the accepted limits of variation.

Seminar A Material Chemists View of Crystal Deposition Disease

Crystal Deposition Disease Jennifer Swift
Ways in which analytical chemistry could be used to research the formation of kidney stones and
gout.
How examining molecular crystals can be applied in cases of crystal deposition disease. This
disease causes pain, swelling and sometimes redness in joints.
Methods included optical microscopy, X-ray crystallography and atomic force microscopy.
Topics: Uric acid precipitation, chemical force microscopy, adhesion trends and crystal growth
mechanisms.

Purpose: Detection of harmful agents/screening

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Preventive medical examinations (blood sugar test sticks)

Toxicology and forensic medicine: identification of poisons and drugs

Purpose: Decision-making
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Medical diagnostics

Purpose: Ensuring the protection of people and the environment

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Foodstuff inspections
Quality control of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and other materials

Purpose: Evaluation of performed measures

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Evaluation of medical therapies

Purpose: Monitoring, process, supervision and process regulation

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Process supervision of foodstuff, pharmaceutical, chemical and material production

Progress of long term medical therapies