Editors' Column SI Units Starting with the January 1978 issue, ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y will begin its move toward SI units. This move toward the usage of the International System of Units (SI) had been agreed to by ACS editors as general policy for all ACS publications. It was also decided that although in principle the change to strict SI usage is desirable, each editor should have the option to make any necessary adjustments dictated by practical reality. [See Dr. Laitinen's editorial, "Moving Towards SI Units", Anal. Chem., 48, 633 (1976).] As a consequence of the ACS editors' action, the question of SI usage was discussed at the 1976 and 1977 ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y Advisory Board meetings. The consensus was that the adoption of SI usage should be initiated by the leading analytical chemistry journal. Of course, it is impractical, if not impossible, to completely convert the January and subsequent issues. Because many non-SI units are in common use and because many units will not be readily given up, exceptions to the rules will have to be allowed. Conversion to SI usage will be slow since the conversion is a learning process. Not until all analytical chemists accept and use SI will the JOURNAL be able to convert exclusively to SI. Some simple and convenient conversions will be made. Units that are convertible by multiples of ten will be changed; for example, millimicrons are already being changed to nanometers. Also, in certain cases the SI equivalent of units from other systems will be parenthetically included. The ease with which any changes can be made will depend on the continuing cooperation of our authors and reviewers. The January issue of ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y will provide a list of SI units as well as those exceptions acceptable. Obviously, the list of worthwhile exceptions cannot be complete, and we welcome any serious suggestions for candidates to add or delete from this list. The revised ACS "Handbook for Authors", which will be available in the near future, will give the general policy on SI for ACS publications. The availability of this handbook will be announced.
The book, 358 pages including both subject and name indexes, has been published by the ACS Analytical Chemistry Division. In two editorials [Anal. Chem., 48,1 (1976); 49, 689 (1977)] Professor Laitinen discussed the plans and goals of the project resulting in the publication of this book. Although we will have a formal review of the book in a future issue of ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y , at this time we want to call special attention to its availability for two reasons. First, we think it's appropriate to recognize the efforts of the two editors, four topical editors of major chapters, and 51 contributors from the profession. All of these dedicated people contributed their time and effort without remuneration of any kind. Any profits accruing to the Division will serve to support divisional activities, especially the graduate research fellowship program. Second, the introduction to the book, pages 1-7, traces the evolution of ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y as indicative of the evolution of the field it represents. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
enters its 50th volume year in 1978. It is gratifying to have in one place, details of the JOURNAL'S growth, both in scope and importance, since its beginnings in 1929 as a spin-off from Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. At the 1978 fall ACS meeting in Miami Beach, Professor Laitinen will chair a symposium on "50 Years of Analytical Chemistry—the Journal and the Science" in honor of Lawrence T. Hallett, editor emeritus of ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. The sympo-
sium will cover the years by decades, stressing the relationship between the JOURNAL and the science. These presentations will appear in the A pages of ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y in the
November and December issues, 1978. Copies of "A History of Analytical Chemistry" are available from Frank Guthrie, Department of Chemistry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind. 47803. Cost to ACS Analytical Division members is $7.00; nonmembers, $10; add $1.00 for foreign postage. Checks or money orders should be made payable to the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry.
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Historical Notes "A History of Analytical Chemistry", coedited by H. A. Laitinen and G. A. Ewing, is in print in hard cover.
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 49, NO. 14, DECEMBER 1977 • 1253 A
