A C S OFFICIAL REPORTS 1 9 4 9
the arrangement of round-table discussion groups on analytical chemistry at the national ACS meetings. The proposal took hold and the division scheduled three subjects for the Atlantic City meeting, namely, determination of carbon in ferrous alloys, Karl Fischer reagent for use in the determination of water, and polarographic behavior of organic compounds. The moderators for each of these round tables did excellent jobs, attendance was good, and the discussion was lively and stimulating. Stenographic reports of all three sessions were taken by Analytical Chemistry. The full reports have been digested by the moderators and will appear in the March 1950 issue.
pollution, and of course the political, scientific, and industrial problems of atomic energy. All of these topics were much in the news in 1949. During the past several years it became apparent that many members of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY who are engaged in
what we call commercial development or market research had no forum within the Society where ideas could be presented and exchanged. With this realization steps were taken by some of the divisions and the editors to provide opportunities for discussion. The importance of the subject is apparent when it is realized that a new chemical product becomes available in the U. S. every day. In order to sustain the research that produces these products inWALTER J. MURPHY, Editor dustry has to expect that its future profits will be shown in increasing measure by new products. Technically trained men have been eminently successful in applying their talents to research, production, and other phases of business. In so doing, there was deManuscript Statistics veloped a considerable literature on the subjects involved. SimiThe number of manuscripts submitted for publication in Indus- larly, if the chemist or chemical engineer is to be successful in applytrial and Engineering Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry is still ing special talents to the marketing of chemicals, he also will need increasing. In 1949, the total mounted to 1,238. This is 124 more to determine the underlying fundamentals of the problem, develop than the number received in 194S and 136 more than the figure for new techniques, and evolve a literature on the subject. In helping to do this, C&EN during the past year has published three sym1947. Although more manuscripts were received last year than in 1948 posia—commercial chemical development, a series of 12 case the number accepted was less amounting to 788 or 64% of those histories of successful product developments; surveying the market, a series of six papers evidencing the maturity of marketing received. In 1948, 77.2% worr ;i erupted for publication. Receipt and disposition of manuscripts for the two journals over research as a field of chemistry; a n d packaging and transportation of chemicals, nine articles on the development of containers, conthe past three years are given in the following table: tainer materials, and transportation methods that have made posReleased, Filed Rejected sible the safe marketing of chemical products. A number of sepaReAccepted rejected, as inand filed, ceived T o t a l Anal. 2nd. withdrawn active Total rate articles and reports of meetings on these subjects were also included. The subject of education is always with us. Many in1949 1,238 7S8 395 383 230 157 387 1948 1,114 860 448 412 282 118 400 dustrialists blame the colleges and universities for various in1947 1,102 814 356 458 293 85 378 daequacies of their chemists and chemical engineers. Frequently, Not included in the above manuscript statistics are the 70 manutechnical people blame their problems on training or lack of it. scripts considered for the Advances in Chemistry Series. This is a The ACS Committee on Professional Relations and Status has new series designed for the publication of special symposia or groups been active in problems of this type and in cooperation with the of papers on related subjects which would not normally fit into the Division of Chemical Education held a symposium to discuss eduexisting publication program of the Society. Four symposia have cation as a vital phase in the development of the professional asbeen selected to date for this series. They, along with a few others pects of chemistry. To bring these problems before the widest under consideration, will be published in 1950. possible audience C&EN published the symposium papers as well The figures on released manuscripts do not include manuscripts as several other articles on the subject during the year. which were submitted with request for release and not subjected to Consistent with our belief that friendship among nations deformal review by this office. Action was taken on many here pends on mutual understanding and knowledge we have devoted while many were referred to the Journal of the American Chemical considerable attention to the coverage of international scientific Society for a decision. It is estimated that approximately 250 events. The third UNESCO conference at Beirut was reported by manuscripts were released during 1949. The figure includes not W. A. Noj'es, Jr., and the international conference on weights and only papers from the two national meetings, b u t a number from measures by E. U. Condon and E . C. Crittenden. The editorial regional, local section and divisional. staff obtained material for a report on the International Union of There was a notable increase in the number of manuscripts sub- Chemistry meeting at Amsterdam and E. J. Crane gave us an eyemitted from abroad. During the year contributions from the fol- witness account of the two UNESCO conferences at Paris on lowing countries were received: England, France, Italy, Greece, abstracting and indexing. Norway, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, Australia, India, Egypt, In addition to these news stories, we published several feature Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Northern Rhodesia, China, articles from the international point of view. Among them were .Japan, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Belgium, and The Nether- "Impressions of Chemistry on the European Continent" by L. F. lands. Fieser, "The Pharmaceutical industry in Germany" by E. C. Kleiderer, and "Complementary Characters of German and American Ways" by Rudolf Plank. Also published during 1949 were many other reports and news stories on the developments in Chemical a n d Engineering N e w s science and industry abroad. Considerable attention was given in 1949 to editorial comment JL HE readership of CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S hit a new and reports of developments in the fields of industrial wastes and high in 1949 with a circulation of 73,000 in December. These atmospheric pollution. These twin problems are among the most readers come from nearly every phase of industry, research, educa- pressing matters facing industry and research today. Rapid tion, and government. Each group has its own special interests, strides must be made in solving them over the next few years and but they all have a basic interest and foundation in the profession we feel it part of our job to disseminate as much information as of chemistry and chemical engineering. Our readers extend from possible on the subject. the student in college to the presidents and directors of the counA special issue that evoked much interest was the one of Oct. 17 try's largest industrial organizations, universities, and research devoted to a survey of chemical resources of the 11 western states. foundations. Put out in connection with the Pacific Chemical Exposition these The many different departments in C&EN and its variety of articles supplied much data useful t o chemists, engineers, market feature articles are designed to serve the interests of this constantly researchers, and businessmen. growing group of chemists and chemical engineers. Another special issue was devoted to four articles in a forum on From year to year one or more subjects stand out reflecting the safety in the plant and laboratory. trends of the time. Among such subjects in 1949 were the problems In all the total number of editorial and advertising pages printed of commercial development and marketing of chemical products, in 1949 amounted to 4,144. 840 pages were devoted to feature education of technical personnel, questions of international co- articles, exclusive of official ACS reports. On these 840 pages apoperation among scientists, industrial wastes and atmospheric peared 159 articles including the 61 articles in nine symposia. 588
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ACS OFFICIAL REPORTS 1 9 4 9 There were 158 reports of scientific and technical meetings and 88 editorials. The need for a place in C&EN for the publication of spot news reports of an interpretive nature was recognized with the estab*lishment of the feature, "conCENtrates." This feature had its first appearance in the issue of May 23 and met with immediate acceptance and approval. The news in this department is not limited rigidly in subject matter b u t is selected according t o the significance i t might have in the chemical world of tomorrow. "eonCEINrtrates" is the last page t o be released to the printer each week and contains the most up-to-date news that can be obtained by the editorial staff. Another innovation during 1949 was the subdepartment, "Washington Briefs," prepared by the Washington News Bureau of C&EJN. This column, which follows "Potomac Postscripts" in the magazine, reports briefly the week's events in Washington and in the Government of interest to the chemical industry. Other features were continued in substantially the same form, although the leading news department, "Industrial News," was changed in name to "News of the Week." The most striking change in the appearance of the NEWS in 1949 was the use of photographic covers in place of the artist's sketches which h a d been in use for the preceding three years. All covers were based on photographic portraits of men prominent in the news, with the addition of other pictorial matter in montage. Com ment on this change was favorable. Plans were made in the latter part of 1949 for a new format, new type faces, and several new departments. Through these im provements put into effect in the first January issue and others to be introduced during 1950, we hope to continue to expand the use
istry a n d the International Congress of Pure and Applied Chem istry t h a t year. Helpful comments also were obtained on two News Service booklets to be issued in 1950—an exposition of the principles and objectives which guide t h e News Service, and a re vised edition of "Publicizing the Chemical Profession," the hand book of public relations techniques which has proved so useful to local section committees since its first appearance in 1946. Among the more gratifying trends of 1949 was the marked in crease in public relations activity conducted b y the 133 local sections, with the cooperation and counsel of the News Service. Most sections now have publicity committees, and their success in obtaining local newspaper announcements of meetings and other newsworthy events is attested b y a continuing flow of clip pings from all parts of the country into the News Service offices at 60 East 42nd St., New York. Although manpower limitations forced t h e News Service to re strict i t s coverage of local section meetings t o papers of potential national interest, the results of its work in this field were neverthe less notable. Newspapers and radio stations i n almost every state, for example, reported the prediction of Charles F . Fryling to the Northeastern Section that 75,000-mile passenger car tires soon would b e made from cold rubber. Special emphasis was placed on reporting regional meetings. Stories emanating from t h e fifth annual Southwest Regional meeting in Oklahoma City appeared in Newsweek magazine and in many of the country's leading dailies. The Southeastern Regional meeting a t Oak Ridge, also evoked widespread interest. A fundamental objective of t h e News Service has always been the enhancement of the prestige of chemists and chemical engi neers, particularly in their own communities. Impressive prog fulness and attractiveness of CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S . ress along this line was achieved by the News Service in 1949 WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor through the publicizing of medals and other honors conferred by the national Society and t h e local sections and divisions on lead ers in various branches of chemistry. Both the announcement of the Priestley Medal award to Arthur ACS N e w s Service Report for 1949 B. Lamb a n d Dr. Lamb's Priestley Medal address in Atlantic City, for example, were prominently reported throughout the na X. HE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, "with more efneienev and tion. Extensive publicity also was given t o the Chicago Section's less fanfare than most, is setting new patterns for the public selection of Peter J. W. De bye as Willard Gibbs Medalist, and the relations executives of other nonprofit organizations." New York Section's presentation of t h e Nichols Medal to I. M. Kolthoff. This tribute to the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY'S pioneering Few chemical stories of 1949 aroused more interest among news program, of public relations for scientists came from an authorita tive professional source—the weekly Public Relations News. The paper editors, as reflected in the deluge of clippings received by the periodical, widely read by industrial executives, devoted a con News Service, than the account of Eugene G. Rochow's Baekeland siderable part of its May 30, 1949, issue to a "case study" of the Medal Address before the North Jersey Section on "Chemistry Tomorrow." work of the ACS News Service. Continuing its policy of close cooperation with the Society's The7 varied activities which won the praise of "Public Relations News' were continued successfully throughout 1949, despite the 19 professional divisions, t h e News Service publicized effectively severe handicaps imposed by a reduced budget and a curtailed the elections of division officers and special symposia sponsored staff. Once again the year's advances in chemical science and b y several divisions, as well as many of the papers presented technology received a tremendous volume of publicity in the press before the divisions at national meetings. The News Service breakfast for division and local section offi of the nation and the world: Major stories arising out of the San Francisco and Atlantic City national meetings were accorded front cers a n d public relations committeemen h a s now become an es page prominence in numerous cities, and many papers presented tablished and valued feature of each national meeting. In At before local sections were publicized nationally in the press and on lantic City last fall, the News Service was privileged to have a s its guest speaker Roy K. Marshall, pioneer i n the presentation of the radio. The local sections, in turn, cooperated with the News Service scientific information by television, who described some of the in boosting the number of radio stations broadcasting *'Headlines unique problems encountered in planning and producing his weekly in Chemistry" to 71, an increase of slightly more than 50% over National Broadcasting Co. show, ' T h e Nature of Things." At San Francisco, Milton Silverman, the distinguished chemist1948. Perhaps the most significant gain recorded by the News Service writer who is science editor of t h e San Francisco Chronicle, in the radio-television field during 1949 was provided by the un gave a n illuminating discourse on the proper relationship between usually extensive network coverage of the Atlantic City national science and the press in the atomic age. A special exhibit on the press and radio work of the News Serv meeting. Virtually all major radio and television networks de voted broadcasts to chemical progress in connection with that ice was staged at San Francisco for t h e benefit of the member ship. The News Service, in cooperation with the editors of meeting. The growing importance of the News Service as the voice of the CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S and Industrial and Engineer chemical profession was underlined during the 3'ear b y the estab ing Chemistry, also participated in t h e 22nd Chemical Industries lishment of a 12-man News Service Advisory Board. Consisting Exposition a t Grand Central Palace, New York, showing a series of leading public relations executives in the chemical and chemical of industrial films on various aspects of chemistry and chemical process industries and a cross-section representation of the Society's engineering. Although continuing to emphasize news of chemical progress as membership, the Advisory Board held its first formal session in the most fruitful single form of public relations for the chemical Atlantic City. From, that conference came numerous constructive suggestions profession, the News Service did not overlook its obligation to for the comprehensive public relations program planned by thf acquaint the public with the chemist's viewpoint on current affairs. News Service for the Society's seventy-fifth anniversary celebration Editorial comment in the Society's journals and statements of in 1951, and the meetings of the International Union of Chem pinion on important issues by leaders of t h e profession were pubV O L U M E
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