Editorial
A Year 2000 Celebration
T
his will be the last Analytical Chemistry editorial in an issue with the year 19XX on the cover. I want to use it to highlight the celebration of analytical chemistry that my Journal colleagues and I have planned for the year 2000. There have been lots of changes and progress in analytical chemistry— for both the discipline and the Journal—in the last half of the 20th century. Changes in the Journal were chronicled recently (Anal. Chem. 1999, 71, 647 A)A and 111 not dwell on them ffrther. Progress in the discipline has been significant and will be celebrated with a series of special reports that will appear in the A-pages throughout the coming year. A group of distinguished scholars in the analytical community have agreed to contribute their retrospective observations on developments (events) in selected areas over recent decades. We hope to gain especially close perspectives of major advances in both fundamental science and applications from authors whose research has helped shape these areas. Topics will include atomic and vibrational spectroscopies, chemometrics, federal regulations, flow injection analysis, HPLC, and voltammetry—to mention a few. Another group of scholars has been asked to contribute prospective, or forward-looking, special reports that address relatively recent analytical developments, which could significantly influence our science in the post-2000 era. These reports will cover microanalytical devices, single-molecule spectroscopy, DNA analysis, and atmospheric analysis—again, just to mention a few. These articles will be intermingled with the retrospective ones throughout next year. The special reports will not supplant our usual flow of A-page articles on contemporary analytical chemistry; there will simply be more feature articles. Furthermore, I decided that it would be worthwhile
to inject fresh views and ideas on topics of concern to analytical and other chemists, and I have thus invited a group of analytical scholars to contribute guest editorials to Analytical Chemistry during 2000. An outstanding group has agreed to do that. So, look for this column to be signed by different individuals during the year. I shall lay my silver pen aside for the best part of the year and enjoy reading these editorials. In selecting the analytical topics and authors for these special reports, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of important areas and the high caliber of the experts. Choosing the guest editorial writers presented the same problem. It's not possible to be totally inclusive, and I apologize for the necessary omissions. Another significant step will be taken in the coming year, when Prof. Reinhard Niessner of the Technical University of Munich (Germany) joins Analytical Chemistry ys its first Europe-based Associate editor. Analytical chemistry is a healthy and vibrant part of the European chemistry community; each year many fine publications appear in this Journal from authors with European addresses. This expansion of our editorial group wasn't intended merely to be a part of a 2000 celebration; it's much more than that. Finally, I close with an invitation to our readers to reflect on how you want to spend the last days of the 20th century. Make them different. I intend to spend mine in Patagonia, just north of the Strait of Magellan, looking up at the Antarctic ozone hole. I shall probably think about the importance of atmospheric analytical chemistry.
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, December 1, 1999 7 7 9 A
