ANALYTICAL CH EM1S T R Y WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor ~~
Helping Those Inclined toward Science
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May issue of Cheniistry, published by JITatsoii and Helen Davis of Science Service of Washington, I). C., is devoted to reporting on many scientific instruments that high school students have built in recent years. Many of our readers will recall that Chemistry is the successor to the Chemistry Leaflet which Pauline I3eery Mack, then of Penn State, distributed to many high schools, as a labor of love of profession, in an effort to stimulate interest in chemistry careers on the part of high school students. In the introductory remarks to this special issue, the Davises point out that every one of the great initruments of science was once handmade from impro\-ked materials. While the use of “every one” may or may not be factual, it certainly is true that the ovei*helming majority have been developed in this manner. I t is liken-ire true that many of the very first model\ hiive been reported on in the pages of ANALYTIC.U. HE
(’I~MISTRY.
The analysts of this country can very well take pride the role that many have played in pioneering scientific instruments. It was natural for them to do so. They were the ones ivho most frequently saw a t first hand the need for a special instrument. Those with special bent in the direction of physics, electronics, and plain gadgeteering have been the authors frequently of the prototypes of slick-looking and expensive-looking instruments that no\v so clearly identify modern analytival and research laboratories. The future welfare of analytical chemisrtry. of instrumentation, of automation depends upon how many young men and women endowed with natural talents for science become interested in the broad field of instrumentation. The Sational Science Talent Search, conducted by Svience Service and financed by Westinghouse, has performed an excellent service t o this country and to srience in supplying the medium for youngsters interested in science careers. -According to the Davises, building instruments is one of the favorite projects of these young people. Reading the descriptions of the iiistrumeiits built by winners and honorable mentions in some recent Science Talent Searches makes it very apparent that for the most part these young experimenters did more than follow published directions ((from A t o Z.” I n most vases it is evident that the students had read widely and combined the most appealing methods from numerous sources. Interestingly enough, the Davises report that the young men and women were particularly costconscious in constructing their various pieces of equipment. HOWbetter can one learn the scientific principles upon which such instruments are built? Glancing through the May issue of Chemistry me find the following were constructed by Science Talent Search u-inners and honorable mentions : a spectroscope, a Tcgla coil, an oscilloscope, a cloud chamber, a Geiger counter, a Van de Graaff generator, an electrical digital computer, and a machine for generating ultrasonic ill
xvaves, to mention just a few. Oiie other article of special interest was on a phase of chromatography which the young author defines ((forthe lack of a better name” as “centrifugal chromatography.” We all see the need for encouraging the type of young men and women who are attracted to the natural sciences at the secondary school level. It is a t this age that the inspiration is given further impetus or usually is lost forever. The National Talent Search, the science clubs, and other activities designed to engender a love for and a curiosity about the natural sciences need, at times, highly trained people to assist in many ways. Is this not a form of science “action” that many analysts could engage in with murh benefit to themselves aiid to those n-hom they would be helping t o shape a career in science?
Broadening the Horizons
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of the very practical aspects of analytical chemistry is quality control. Some industries have gone further than others in turning to laboratory and statistical quality controls, one of the most notable being the pharmaceutical field. Others have looked a t their manufacturing operations more as an art than a science, and in this category to a considerable extent i.; the candy industry. Last year the Scientific -1pparatus Makers hsociation working with Sears, Roebuck & Co. started a project that undoubtedly will result in the much wider use of analytical chemistry methods in the candy field. In ,June of this year, Robert W. Watson of Sears, speaking a t the 70th annual convention of the National Confectioners’ Association in New York, suggested that the objective of quality control in the candy field should be ((the setting of standards not from a production but from a consumer point of view.” ;It the same time, he cited substantial savings in various phases of production and merchandising where scientific controls have been introduced. Reporting on his company’s experience in establishing a candy research section in its development and testing laboratories, Mr. Watson continued: AE
Candy has been regarded a \ having intangible and variable qualities which could not be given definite expression. It is a, common tendency, where we have an edible product, to regard i t as a combination of chemical substances--n-hich it most certainly is. I3ei!g such a combination, i t obeys the laws of nature a n d never gives an unpredictable result, if studied sufficiently. Therefore, it is capable of prediction, control, and evaluation. Most of the resistance we initially encountered has been overcome, I am happy to say: hecause through a series of methods which are chemical, physical, and organoleptic (test analysis) in nature, we have given an evaluation to most of candies’ qualities, both tangible and intangible.
The S A L % ,of course, is interested primarily in the project, and rightfully so, in order t o promote the sale of analytical instruments, laboratory reagents, etc. Through its efforts, however, it is bringing to many segments in a large consumer industry a knowledge of the practical values inherent in the adoption of modern analytical practices and a t the same time is creating more opportunities for analytical chemists. 1257
