Survey of Quantitative Analysis Courses in the United States RALPH L. VAN PEURSEM Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanies Institute, Rochester, New York
D .
URING the past 12 years the American Chemical Soclety, through the Committee on Examinations of the Division of Chemical Education, in cooperation with the American Council on Education, has engaged in a program of stimulating interest in the better testing procedures and in the preparation of a complete battery of tests in the major fields of chemistry. Up to the present time, such examinations have been prepared in the fields of general chemistry, qualitative analysis, and organic chemistry.' S u r ~ e y s 'have ~~ shown that these tests are widely used and indications are that if satisfactory tests were prepared in the other major branches of chemistry they would be widely accepted. For this reason the Committee, during the past two years, has undertaken the preparation of tests in quantitative analysis and physical chemistry. In order to obtain necessary information as the basis for actual preparation of test material, the subcommittee on quantitative analysis formulated and circulated a questionnaire among 150 representative colleges and universities selected according to size, type, and geographical location in the United States. A response of 115 replies (77 per cent) was obtained. RESULTS OF SURVEY
The total enrollment in quantitative analysis in the 115 schools was 5355, or an average of 47 students per class. Classes ranged in size from 4 to 400 students. In Table 1 are listed the professional objectives of the students enrolled in these classes and the oercentape of the total enrollment represented by each. It is to
-
'books were in use, of which one was in use in 40 per cent of the schools. Mimeographed material was used in 18 per cent of the schools. Table 2 shows the wide variety of courses offered as well as the fact that the most frequent combination is two hours of theory and six hours of laboratory per week. TABLE 2 C ~ o c wH o v ~ rD e v o ~ ~TOo Tnnonu AND LABOAATORY I N QVANTITATIYF ANkLusrs -Theory----. -Loborolory-. Hours Schools Hours S6hoois
.
1 25 2 66 3 I9 4 1 5 2 Did not indicate 2
3 4 5 6
7 8 9 I0 12 13 35 Did not indicate
1 5 3 52 1 26 16 3 5 I 1 2
Courses ranged in lerigth from 5 to 38 weeks. Ten schools reported a course 10 to 12 weeks, which represents the equivalent of a quarter term. Fortyfour schools reported a course 15 to 18 weeks in length, which is the equivalent of a semester, and 42 schools a course length of 30 to 36 weeks, or the equivalent of a school year. TABLE 3 TOTAT.
n M B
DBVOIED TO T B ~ O RAND Y
LABOEATOBY IN QUINTITATZYB
ANALYSIS COURSES IN THB 115 SEBOOLS
TL,.,V. ....... HOUTS
12-19
".,
r n h n m h + . -
schaoi~ 13
aourr
48-89
schoolr 7
TABLE 1 Oejeerrv~sOP Sruoaws ENROLLED IN QOANTITATIYB Pxoassmorr~~ ANALVSIS COURSBS
Praffffionnl Objcclivcr
Pncenlnsr
Premedical............................................. Chemistry maj Prcengineuin Science major Pharmacy, home ceonomies. and textile =herniatry (2 per cent each) ................................................. Ho~pifallaboratmytcchnician .............................. Tots
30 29 25 9 6 -. 1 100
be noted that the three leading professional goals, premedical, chemistry major, and pre-engineering, represent 84 per cent of the total enrollment. A total of 22 diierent textbooks were in use for class work. Four of these textbooks were used in 82 per cent of the schools. Nineteen different laboratorv textC~ANDK "The A , college chemistry testing program, 19411942," J. CHEM.E~uc., 20,141 (1943). Asmon~,"The 1940-1941 college chemistry testing program," ibid., 19, 116 (1942).
7 W 9 80 or more Did not indicate
16 5 1
190-209 210-229 23CF249 25CF269 270 or more
9 15 4 9
7
The total time devoted to class work v&es from 12 to 108 hours. with an averarre of 36 hours, and the total time devoted to laborat& ranges from 48 to 432 hours, the average being 144 hours. In general, the class work was devoted to three principal areas of study, namely: theory and principles, problems, and laboratory techniques. The average percentage of time devoted to each of these areas was: theory and principles, 50 per cent; problems, 30 per cent; and laboratory techniques, 20 per cent. The variation in percentage of class time devoted to these three subjects of study was considerable, as shown by
TABLE 4 Q u ~ l m r ~ r r ANALYSIS vs ZN 115 SCMOOLS Rcloliac Relnliv~
the information could not be tabulated, absolute values of the frequencies for the various theory topics and laboratory experiments would have little signifiTopic FILPU~CY Topic Frcgucnry Neutrali%ation 100 Analysis by electrocance. The relative frequencies iu Tables 4 and 5 were 93 Oxidation-Reduction deposition 40 obtained by assigning values of 100 to the theory topic Solubility prodwt Mass action 30 principle 84 Hydrolysi~ 30 and the laboratory experiment which were reported Indicators 75 Oxidation-Rcduetim most frequently and calculating relative values for the Precipitation 74 reactions 30 63 Oxidation-Reduction pH remainder. Precision and arc,,. potentials 30 mcy-rrors 61 Gravimetricanalyrin 28 The division of the list of laboratory experiments Chemical balance 54 Colloids ZG into seven general classifications was largely arbitrary coprecipitation 14 Mircellaneovs (80 Titration curves 40 topics) and was done as a matter of couvenience for summarizing. Table 5 shows the wide variety of laboratory TABLE 5 experiments reported. LABaaAroa~Comewr OF Qu~rrrrrmrvaA l r n ~ v s r sC o a ~ s s IsN 115 SEBOOLS OF
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Titrirnetric NaXOa (or other weak base) HAc (or other weak acid)
On the basis of the above data, certain observations and conclusions are warranted : 1. In 115 schwls the professional goals of 84 per cent of the
cu
Fe (method not specified)
Fe (KMn03 Fe ( K n C r r O 7 o u t side indieator) Cl (method not aped6ed)
Calibration Buret pipet Plark Weight. El~trolyfie
cu
As Differentialtitration (OH and Cod Sh ~Miaeellaneour (11 experiments) Gravirnetrie Sulfate (or Ea) Chlmide (or AS) Pe F,O.
zn (as
pylophos-
phate)
s n (as Snod Ha0 Miscellaneouo 18 experiments) Standardization Acid
Base
.
Pb Ni J.imestone Acid inmluble
sio,
Loss on ignition RlO, cao lmethod not .pK;fi.d)
cao (titrimetrid
CaO (pravimetri3 M60 Miscellaneous (3 experiment.) Colorimetric
-.
cu cr
Miscellaneous (26 experiments)
the following ranges reported: theory and principles, 2 to 80 per cent; problems, 5 to 70 per cent; and laboratory techniques, 5 to 88 per cent. The questions relating to the contents of the courses were free response questions and resulted in a list much longer than the one which was included in Tables 4 and 5. Many subjects which are closely related are combined under a more general heading. Since several of the schools either did not answer the questions relating to course content, or responded in such a manner that
students in quantitative analysis were nearly evenly divided into three principal areas: premedical, chemistry major, and pre-engineering. 3. The time spent in class work varies from one to five hours per week, and in the laboratory from three to thirtyave hours per week; total time varies from 12 to 108 hours for class work and from 48 to 432 hours for laboratory. 3. There is no uniformity in the subject-matter content of courses.
As a result of this summary, the subcommittee has constructed a test in quantitative analysis and designed i t so that the various combinations of the sections or the entire test may be used for measurement of achievement in oue-quarter, one-semester, or full-year courses. The division of the test into sections is therefore planned largely on the basis of subject-matter content. However, i t takes into account the major objectives ontlined in this survey, namely: knowledge and nnderstanding of theory and principles, ability to apply principles to the solution of problems, and a knowledge of proper laboratory techniques. Teachers who are interested in assisting the subcommittee by criticizing or experimenting with this examination are urged to communicate with the chairman. COMMITTEE ON QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
Dr. Ralph L. Van Peursem, Chairman Dr. E. K. Bacon Dr. John Barker Dr. C. W. Bennett Mr. Umbay Burti Sister M. Denise Dr. Edward L. Haenisch
Mr. Fred H. Heath Mr. J. J. Marcus Dr. C. S. Martin Dr. Gordon Pritham Dr. Rufus D. Reed Dr. Bruce V. Weidner Mr. H. E. Wilcox
