VOLUME
22, NO.
1, J A N U A R Y
the analyst's
15A
1950
column
1949—Amid the holiday spirit of the Christmas season which we all have just enjoyed, comes the realization of a year just past and a new one just begun. We trust t h a t thoughtful people, such as our readers, a t this time give some consideration to their past accomplishments and reset their sights for the year to come. Having thus pushed ourselves into the proverbial .corner, we will a t t e m p t extrication by briefly recounting important developments in analytical chemistry. The Division of Analytical Chemistry has grown u p to its responsibilities and presented programs which were timely and informative. The symposia and meetings were all well attended and the papers, particularly those given a t symposia, showed careful preparation and were well presented. The three roundtable discussions conducted a t Atlantic City were well received. We expect to present summaries of these discussions in our March issue. The growth in the division membership has been phenomenal, and the division officers have done a creditable job in keeping the membership informed of division activities. Continuance of this policy will preserve the gains made and ensure additional gains. The annual Analytical Symposium has established itself, and while its function of giving scientific information is of prime importance, of equal importance is its usefulness in fostering a feeling of unity among analytical chemists. I t also affords an excellent means of informally exchanging scientific information. Regional A.C.S. meetings in miniature have increased in number during the past year, and it has been gratifying to note t h a t rather strong programs in analytical chemistry have been presented. This, coupled with the number of regional symposia devoted to analytical chemistry, shows the phenomenal growth of research in this field. Several universities have crystallized forward-looking programs in analytical research for graduate students, so t h a t the supply of good chemists in this field soon should be increased. Your journal has, during the past year, been issued with all the departments which your editors considered necessary for a journal of this type. 1950—Although we are pleased by the past year, we are not becoming complacent and appreciate t h a t there is still much to be done. Active consideration is being given to how best to publish basic data of interest to analytical chemists. Naturally, we are interested in promoting A.C.S. activities; however, accurate reporting of all meetings where analytical topics are discussed is considered an important service to our readers. You do n o t h a v e t o b e a n A . C S . member to submit papers for publication. The prompt publication of papers will continue to be our concern. Progress has been made in this, and this year should find our scheduling more satisfactory. The addition of a section each month devoted to announcements of new commercially available instruments, apparatus, chemicals, and literature useful in analysis has been decided upon. Such information has been so scattered t h a t it is often only by chance t h a t the availability of such items is noted. We believe our readers will agree t h a t it will make a welcome additional service. This section starts on page 23 A of this issue. We expect and encourage more contacts with analytical chemists in other countries, and the holding of the next International Union of Chemistry conference in this country should afford an excellent opportunity for us to accomplish this end. As our crystal ball for 1950 is becoming cloudy, and our 600 words will run off this page or into the advertising, we must end by wishing you nonfading end points, perfect checks, and no drift in your electronic equipment.
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