ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRV EDITORIAL
May 1966, Vol. 38, No. 6 Editor: HERBERT A. LAITINEN EDITORAL HEADQUARTERS Washington, D. C. 20036 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W. Phone: 202-737-3337Teletype WA 23 Associate Editor: John K. Crum Assistant Editors: Josephine I’echan, Virginia E. Stewart Editorial Assistants: Martha B. Wood
Mary Ann Wingard,
Contributing Editor: R. H. MGller Art Director: Joseph Jacobs Perry Donovan, Herbert
Production Staff-Easton, Pa. Associate Editor: Charlotte C. Sayre Assistant Editor: Elizabeth R. Rufe Advisory Board: 0 . U Anders F C Anson C. V. Banks R. G’ Bates W.’J. Blaedel’ S. Bruckenatki H: W. Habgood G. A: Harlow D M.Hercules F W. McLffert M. w.’ Mallett, G. H. Morrison, R. Thiers, J. C. White, D. H. Wilkins
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AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS Director of Publications, Richard L. Kenyon Assistant Director of Publications and Director of Research Journals, Richard H. Belknap Director of Business Operations, Joseph H. Kuney Executive Assistant to the Director of Publications, Rodney N. Hader Assistant to the Director of Publications, William Q. Hull REGIONAL EDITORIAL BUREAUS NEW YORK N. Y. 733 Thud AvB).
not even analytical chemists are fully in agreement as to the definition of their own field. We hear statements to the effect that “Chemistry is going out of analytical chemistry.’’ I n evident contradiction, some say that the teaching of electronic instrumentation should not be undertaken by analytical chemists but left to electrical engineers. Both viewpoints seem too narrow in our view. What about the statement “Analytical chemistry is what analytical chemists do”? Unfortunately, it leads to possible misunderstanding. Its significance is in emphasizing the modernization of the field and to this end it might be better to say “Analytical chemistry is what analytical chemists do now.” Even with this modification, however, it is too restrictive, for it implies that advances in the field are made only by a group of people who can be identified as analytical chemists and denies the historic fact that many fundamental contributions have been made by scientists who are not analytical chemists, or even chemists a t all. Yet, it is also too inclusive, for it suggests that all activities of an elite order become analytical chemistry through some magic touch. For example, an analytical chemist may well have occasion to synthesize a new reagent, but synthesis does not thereby become analysis. It is a challenge to propose a definition that will neither deny the existence of analytical chemistry as a discipline in its own right nor be so all-inclusive as to serve no useful purpose. As a simple working definition we propose the statement that analytical chemistry is the science of chemical characterization and measurements. It includes the theory, methodology, and instrumentation to carry out all aspects of its operations, such as sampling, separations, chemical steps, physical measurements, computation, and data processing. Clearly, analytical chemistry can make no claim to all aspects of research in all these fields, but any research aimed a t the advancement of chemical characterization and measurements can be regarded as valid research in analytical chemistry. PPARENTLY
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What Is Analytical Chemistry?
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For submission of manuscripts, see page 2A. VOL 30, NO. 6, MAY 1966
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