Shown here is one useful scheme for classifying chemical kinetic methods of analysis. Methods are divided into two main categories: direct-computation methods and curve-fitting methods. In a direct-computation method we calculate the analyte’s initial concentration, [A]0, using the appropriate rate law. For example, if the reaction is first-order in analyte, we can determine [A]0 if we have values for k, t, and [A]t. With a curve-fitting method, we use regression to find the best fit between the data—for example, [A]t as a function of time—and the known mathematical model for the rate law.
This classification of chemical kinetic methods of analysis is adapted from Pardue, H. L. “Kinetic Aspects of Analytical Chemistry,” Anal. Chim. Acta 1989, 216, 69–107.
