TriCA as a Triple-Color Assessment Tool for Analytical Methods
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Salman International University (KSIU), El-Tor 11371, Egypt
- 2Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31111, Egypt
- 3Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah 46002, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
- 4Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Zakho, Zakho 42002, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
- 5Department of Science, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- 6Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
- 7Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32958, Egypt
Abstract
The evaluation of analytical methods has evolved beyond traditional validation parameters to encompass environmental sustainability, analytical reliability, and practical applicability. While numerous assessment tools exist for individual dimensions, integrated multicolor frameworks often impose rigid parameter selection, assign equal weights to all dimensions regardless of analytical context, or lack the granular diagnostic feedback necessary for method improvement. To address these limitations, we present the Triple-Color Assessment (TriCA) tool, a web-based platform that integrates three validated metrics into a unified scoring system with a hierarchical weighting scheme. TriCA combines the Analytical Green Star Area (AGSA) for greenness assessment, the Click Analytical Chemistry Index (CACI) for blueness evaluation, and the Analytical Method Reliability Index (AMRI) for redness scoring. While these metrics are provided as defaults, users may select alternative assessment tools within each dimension according to their specific preferences or requirements. TriCA features a user-customizable weighting system with recommended defaults (red = 3, blue = 2, green = 1), reflecting the logical priority that a method must first be valid, then practical, and finally green. Users can adjust these weights for specific contexts, while the underlying metric scoring protocols (AGSA, CACI, and AMRI) remain fixed to ensure reproducibility. Beyond composite scoring, TriCA generates three detailed pictograms, 12 segments for AGSA, eight segments for CACI, and 10 segments for AMRI, each color-coded to show performance at the individual criterion level. This diagnostic capability enables analysts to identify exactly which green chemistry principles, practicality criteria, or validation parameters are deficient, transforming assessment from an opaque scoring exercise into actionable guidance for method improvement. Seven case studies encompassing diverse analytical techniques demonstrate TriCA’s discriminative power and diagnostic utility. The tool is freely accessible at bit.ly/TriCA, offering the analytical community a transparent, reproducible, and diagnostically rich framework for method evaluation, development, and optimization.
Related
- Numerical and Analytical Study of Tunable Color Control in Quantum-Dot Top-Emission Light-Emitting Diodes Using a Liquid-Crystal-Assisted Metal–Insulator–Metal Cavity
- A predictive transferability index for crystal plasticity framework selection: Variational derivation, analytical bounds, and FFT-based plausibility assessment
- Chlorate as an emerging contaminant in water and food matrices: Sources, occurrence, toxicity, analytical methods, and mitigation strategies: A critical review
- Ferritin-Based Nanocarriers: Analytical Methods for Physicochemical Characterization
- Recent Analytical Methods for N-Nitrosamine Analysis as Impurities in Drug Substances and Drug Products.
BibTeX
@article{mansour2026trica,
title = {{TriCA as a Triple-Color Assessment Tool for Analytical Methods}},
author = {Fotouh R. Mansour and Khalid Mohammad Omer and Sameera Sh. Mohammed Ameen and Marcello Locatelli and Imran Ali and Alaa Bedair},
journal = {Analytica—A Journal of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Analysis},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.3390/analytica7030052},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/analytica7030052},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - TriCA as a Triple-Color Assessment Tool for Analytical Methods
AU - Fotouh R. Mansour
AU - Khalid Mohammad Omer
AU - Sameera Sh. Mohammed Ameen
AU - Marcello Locatelli
AU - Imran Ali
AU - Alaa Bedair
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/04
JO - Analytica—A Journal of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Analysis
DO - 10.3390/analytica7030052
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/analytica7030052
AB - The evaluation of analytical methods has evolved beyond traditional validation parameters to encompass environmental sustainability, analytical reliability, and practical applicability. While numerous assessment tools exist for individual dimensions, integrated multicolor frameworks often impose rigid parameter selection, assign equal weights to all dimensions regardless of analytical context, or lack the granular diagnostic feedback necessary for method improvement. To address these limitations, we present the Triple-Color Assessment (TriCA) tool, a web-based platform that integrates three validated metrics into a unified scoring system with a hierarchical weighting scheme. TriCA combines the Analytical Green Star Area (AGSA) for greenness assessment, the Click Analytical Chemistry Index (CACI) for blueness evaluation, and the Analytical Method Reliability Index (AMRI) for redness scoring. While these metrics are provided as defaults, users may select alternative assessment tools within each dimension according to their specific preferences or requirements. TriCA features a user-customizable weighting system with recommended defaults (red = 3, blue = 2, green = 1), reflecting the logical priority that a method must first be valid, then practical, and finally green. Users can adjust these weights for specific contexts, while the underlying metric scoring protocols (AGSA, CACI, and AMRI) remain fixed to ensure reproducibility. Beyond composite scoring, TriCA generates three detailed pictograms, 12 segments for AGSA, eight segments for CACI, and 10 segments for AMRI, each color-coded to show performance at the individual criterion level. This diagnostic capability enables analysts to identify exactly which green chemistry principles, practicality criteria, or validation parameters are deficient, transforming assessment from an opaque scoring exercise into actionable guidance for method improvement. Seven case studies encompassing diverse analytical techniques demonstrate TriCA’s discriminative power and diagnostic utility. The tool is freely accessible at bit.ly/TriCA, offering the analytical community a transparent, reproducible, and diagnostically rich framework for method evaluation, development, and optimization.
SN - 2673-4532
ER -