Educafional Trends in Analy*kal.Chemts*ry lntroduction T h e past few decades have been a period of tremendous change in the techniques and concepts that can properly be included in the domain of analytical chemistry. It is only natural then that considerable thought and effort should be devoted to considerations of possihle revisions of our undergraduate courses in this field. However, in so doing, it is necessary to consider trends in the entire undergraduate curriculum. Conversely, in considering revisions of the over-all undergraduate chemistry program, it is important to take into consideration the need of every chemist. whatever his ultimate speciality might be, for thorough introduction to the concepts and techniques of modern analytical chemistry. That there does not exist a unanimity of ideas as to what should be included in analytical chemistry courses or when in the curriculum they should be offered, is evidenced by the diversity of opinions expressed in the papers comprising this symposium. Part of this divergence of ideas is undoubtedly due to differences in local conditions which dictate to some extent course content as well as course sequence. Thus what is best at one school need not be right for another. It is the purpose of this symposium to present some
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of the current ideas concerning the aims and obligations around which modern analytical chemistry courses should be built and to provide examples of the types of courses currently being offered a t a number of schools with somewhat different local conditions. I t is hoped that the papers that follow will not only provide guides for those planning revisions of their own curriculum but stimulate discussions from which better approaches to revisions of analytical chemistry courses as well as of the entire undergraduate chemistry curriculum may arise. Richard C. Bowers, chairman of symposium Northwestern University, Evonston, Illinois EDITOR'BNOTE: The present ferment in analytical chemistry and its teaching is a repeated theme in symposia which have been held by the Division of Chemical Education and later pubWe refer readers to thoseof recent yeam: lished in mmJOURNAL. "Teaching Instrumental Analysis," 33, 422 ff (1956); "Qualitative Analysis-What, Why, and How?" 34, 387s (1957); and "An Analysis Group in an Industrial Research Organization," 35, 2ff, 76ff (1958). Numerous other papers have presented the results of surveys, innovations in specific courses, and experimental novelties. Editorial comment has been focused on analytical chemistry courses in 35,53 and 587 (1958).
