Estimation of Elements

Detecting which elements a compound contains (the previous section) only answers a yes/no question for each element; the natural next question is HOW MUCH of each element is actually present, by weight -- and that requires a separate, quantitative method for each element. This section works through dedicated estimation procedures for carbon and hydrogen (together), sulphur, halogens, phosphorus, and nitrogen (by two different methods, Dumas and Kjeldahl). Oxygen is the one common element with no dependable direct estimation method of its own -- its percentage …