Editorial Cite This: Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 6347−6347
pubs.acs.org/ac
Extracting More Information Using Less (Sample, Time, Preparation...)
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successful analysis entails obtaining the desired information (qualitative and/or quantitative) in a reasonable amount of time. Additional factors such as cost, accuracy, and reproducibility must be taken into account as well. In some cases only a single analyte is of concern. More often, multiple analytes must be determined. It is not surprising that analyses become more demanding as the number of compounds to be analyzed increases and the concentration and sample size decreases. Today, analytical chemists are expected to analyze ever more complex and minute samples, often at lower concentrations and to do so in less time than prior less sophisticated approaches. The sustained advancements of researchers in the analytical sciences is remarkable. Several times, through the period of my career, I’ve seen analytical problems that were considered difficult or even impossible become routine. It is these advances and the information they provide that propels science and technology today. Nowhere are these analytical advances better highlighted than at the concurrent ISCC and GC × GC conferences that alternate between Fort Worth, TX and Riva del Garda, Italy. These conference series have expanded their scope to all manner of multidimensional techniques, miniaturized devices, ultrafast approaches, and advanced sample handling. In some cases it can be argued that the cost, in term of instrumentation, is not necessarily decreasing. However, it can be shown the cost per analysis or per analyte is certainly lower and the information obtained has increased in quantity and quality. Topics presented at the 2017 ISCC and GC × GC symposia and published in Analytical Chemistry in 2017 through May 2018 are featured in this virtual issue. The emphasis on separations (e.g., LC, CE, GC, ion mobility, chips, etc.) and mass spectrometry is apparent, as is the coupling of two or more of these techniques. Enhanced performance has come from altering and improving instruments or parts of instruments, novel coupling strategies, data treatment, and sample preparations. The enhanced capabilities of newly developed techniques is demonstrated with the analysis of a variety of intransigent difficult and complex samples. The net result is a more rapid production of data and perhaps more importantly the effective extraction of useful information from such data.
Daniel W. Armstrong, Associate Editor, Analytical Chemistry
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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Daniel W. Armstrong: 0000-0003-0501-6231 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. Published: June 5, 2018 © 2018 American Chemical Society
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02182 Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 6347−6347
