Abstract: An analytical system to determine the presence of specific constituents in a liquid stream. The analytical system is an automated system that facilitates the testing of one or more samples according to a variety of methods. The methods may be of varying levels of complexity and may be run either in parallel or sequentially.

Abstract: A system for performing chemical analyses includes at least two analyzers and at least one peripheral device capable of serving either analyzer. A control system is coupled to the analyzers and to the peripheral device and selectively commands the peripheral device to serve one or the other of the analyzers depending upon the analyses requested for each analyzer and the analytical method applied. A control system providing sharing of peripheral devices in such a system is also provided, as is a method for performing chemical analyses wherein a peripheral device is shared by analyzers. The system permits simultaneous and asynchronous analysis for a variety of analytes while reducing the physical space occupied by the system and the idle time of both the analyzers and the peripheral devices.