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EDITOR: GEORGE H. MORRISON EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 1155 Sixteenth St.. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202-872-4570 Teletype: 710-8220 151 Executive Editor: Josephine M. Petruzzi Managing Editor: Barbara Calssatt Associate Editor: Stuart A. B80rman Assistant Editors: Marcia S.Cohen, Rani A. George Editorial Assistant: Louise Voress Production Manager: Leroy L.. Corcoran Art Director: John V. Sinnett Staff Artist: Linda M. Mattingly Copy Editor: Gail M. Mortenscn Circulation Manager: Cynthia G. Smith Journals Dept., Columbus, Ohio Associate Head: Marianne Brogan Associate Editor: Rodney L. 'Temos Advlsory Board: Joel A. Carter, Richard S. Danchik, Richard Durst, I3ennis H. Evans, Jack W. Frazer, Helen M. Free, Shlzuo Fujiwara, Roland F. Hirsch, Csaba Horvatl., Wllbur I. Kaye, Thomas C. O'Haver, Janet Osteryoung, Herbert L. Retcofsky, Robert E. Sievers, Wllhelm Simon, Rudolph H. Stehl Instrumentatlon Advlsory Panel: Edward M. Chait, M. Bonner Denton, Raymond E. Dessy, Larry R. Faulkner, Martin S. Frant, Michael L. Gross, Fred E. Lytle, Curt Fbimann, Andrew T. Zander Contributing €ditor, A/ C Interface: Raymond E. Dessy The Analytlcal Approach Advisory Panel: Edward C. Dunlop. Robert A. Wofstader, Wilbur D. Shults Regulatory Affairs, Analytical Dlvlsion Commlttee: Curt W. Reimann (Chairman) Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL. SOCIETY 1155 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C 20036
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Dawn of a New Age This past December marked the 40th anniversary of the dawn of the nuclear age; this event was little noticed by the scientific community. On Dec. 2, 1942, the first artificially induced nuclear chain reaction took place a t the University of Chicago. The American Nuclear Society decided t o commemorate this momentous event on its 40th anniversary because of the advanced ages of many of the key people who were originally involved. A historical perspectives symposium was held in Washington, D.C., consisting of reminiscences by a panel of eminent nuclear pioneers including Professors Eugene W. Wigner, Isidor Rabi, Henry D. Smyth, and Manson Bendict; General Kenneth D. Nichols; and Dr. Crawford H. Greenwalt. The symposium was followed by a reunion of the alumni of the Manhattan Project, the code name for the World War I1 atom bomb project begun in 1942. The reminiscences of the pioneers of this historic event provided many important human insights into the mobilization of American science in time of crisis. These insights should be recorded for future generations. The passage of time was made obvious by t h e fact that many of the bright young graduate students and fledgling scientists who also served on the Manhattan Project are the senior scientists and leaders of today. It should also be remembered that this period of history marked the emergence of modern analytical chemistry. Instrumentation was on the threshold of a new era, and the problems of analytical chemistry afforded one of its most fertile fields of application. Technical advances of the two major projects, radar and atomic energy, rendered prewar electrohics obsolete. Analytical advances were not limited to nuclear techniques, but included such wellestablished methods and techniques as emission, infrared, and mass spectrometries, polarography, electrode potentials, X-rays, electron diffraction, and electronics. It is particularly encouraging to note that this stimulus to analytical chemistry 40 years ago has been followed by almost four decades of sustained growth in times of peace.
Manuscrlpt requlrements are published In the January lQ83Issue, page 171.Manuscripts for publication (4 copies) should he submitted to ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY at the ACS Washington address, The American Chemical Society and Its editors assume no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contrlbutors. Views expressed in the editorials are those of the editors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the American Chemical Society.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL.
55, NO. 3, MARCH 1983
417
