Editors' Column INSTRUMENTATION IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY An ACS Reprint Collection comprising 43 articles from Volumes 41-44 οι Analytical Chemistry.
Analytical Approach to Problem Solving
As all readers of ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY know, our publication is somewhat unique in that it is part scientific magazine and part research journal. Articles published in the jour nal section are intended primarily for specialists, whereas the material in the magazine section is intended to reach a much broader base of readers. We hope that items such as the Report, Instrumentation feature, Book Re views, News and Views, New Prod ucts, etc.—even this column!—catch the eye of everyone who picks up an issue of ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. For some time the Editors and Edi torial Advisory Board of ANALYTI CAL CHEMISTRY have been cogi tating over the question of whether there is some large segment of poten tial readers we could reach more ef fectively than we are at present. Such thoughts led us, several years ago, to expand our coverage of the clinical, biomedical, and environ mental interface areas of analytical chemistry. However, our current con cern is not over disciplines, but over the possibility that we may not be appealing as much as we could to "bench chemists"—professional chemists who are the consumers of research rather than the primary pro ducers. Is there some way we can reach these people better than we are now, perhaps through feature material included in our magazine section? In trying to answer the above ques tion, it occurs to us that what the "bench chemists" we have in mind are really concerned with are prac tical solutions to analytical problems they encounter in their everyday work. What is the most efficient way to ana lyze a sample which may be a complex mixture? How does one characterize an impurity which is fouling a pilot plant run? How can it be shown, practically and efficiently, that unleaded gasoline pumped by over 30,000 service station
outlets is really delivered essentially free of lead? What analytical work is necessary to demonstrate the toxicological safety of a new food packaging material? These and other topics will be the subject matter of an all-day symposium, sponsored by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry, to be held on Tuesday, August 28, 1973, at the 166th ACS National Meeting in Chicago, 111. The symposium, entitled "Analytical Approach to Problem Solving," is being organized by Claude A. Lucchesi, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Analyt ical Services—Advanced Practices Laboratory at Northwestern Univer sity [see Anal. Chem., 43 (1), 29A (1971)]. At present, six industrial participants and one government lab oratory contributor will be presenting material at the symposium, in addi tion to Dr. Lucchesi himself. It is our intention to have the analyt ical approach symposium serve as a "pilot" for a potential ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY magazine section fea ture of similar title and scope. We shall be looking closely at overall atten dance and audience interest in and response to the Chicago symposium in evaluating our plans for the analyt ical approach feature. In all probabili ty, such a feature would appear spo radically, rather than every month, and, of course, talks presented at the symposium would be the most likely candidates to get the ball rolling. If you are planning to attend the Chicago ACS meeting and can be pres ent at the symposium, please feel free to let us know your response to the talks presented there as well as your reaction to ANALYTICAL CHEMIS TRY'S beginning a magazine section feature on the analytical approach to problem solving. Alan J. Senzel
Collected by Alan J. Senzel, Associate Editor of Analytical Chemistry. This up-to-date collection of articles provides an extensive and authoritative account of the latest advances in the various fields of instrumentation. Over forty articles deal with four broad areas of analytical chem istry—spectrometry, chromatog raphy, electrochemistry, and combination and other techniques. Specific topics focus upon instru ment design, biomedical instru mentation, pollution measurement devices, and computer applica tions. These papers will prove valuable as both a research and teaching aid. Each article is complete with a list of references, and important concepts are summarized at the end of each paper. A short com mentary is also provided for most articles. 4 2 8 pages with index. Hardback $7.95, Paper $4.50; 20% discount on paperback edition for 5 or more copies. Postpaid in U.S. and Canada, plus 40 cents elsewhere.
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A N A L Y T I C A L CHEMISTRY, VOL. 45, NO. 8, JULY 1973 · 737 A
