What is analyte?

What is analyte?

• A. The unknown that you are trying to figure out.
• B. The titrant added.
• C. The solvent.
• D. The calibration standard.

Answer: (A)

The analyte is the substance whose amount you are trying to determine in the sample—the target of the measurement or the unknown you seek to quantify. In a titration, for example, the analyte is the species present in the sample that reacts with the added titrant. The other items have different roles: the titrant is the reagent you add during the analysis to react with the analyte; the solvent is the medium carrying the analyte and other components; the calibration standard is a solution with a known concentration used to relate instrument response to concentration and to build a calibration curve.

The analyte is the substance whose amount you are trying to determine in the sample—the target of the measurement or the unknown you seek to quantify. In a titration, for example, the analyte is the species present in the sample that reacts with the added titrant. The other items have different roles: the titrant is the reagent you add during the analysis to react with the analyte; the solvent is the medium carrying the analyte and other components; the calibration standard is a solution with a known concentration used to relate instrument response to concentration and to build a calibration curve.