ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor
Bigger and Better
sessions at the -4CS national meetings, indicate an active and gron-ing interest which augurs well for the future of analytical chemistry.
TEShalf-day sessions featuring 183 technical papers are on the schedule of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and .ipplied Spectroscopy. The meeting will be held a t Pittsburgh. February 28 through March 4, and represents the sixth joint conference of the Pittshurgh Section of the AMERICAS CHEMICAI. SOCIETYand the Spertroscopy Society of Pittsburgh I n addition t o the large number of technical sessions, the conferwce will also feature meetings of several AST?\I rommit tees concerning absorption and emission spectroscopy. a meet irig of the Kational Research Council-Sational Bureau of Standards Committee on 1-ltraviolet and T’isihle Spectral D a t a , exhibits by 37 equipment manufactiirers, an employment bureau, and a technical and scientific book center. -Also on the schedule is the informal discussion period which has proved popular in the past. The subject this year n-ill tie x-ray fliiorescence spectroscopj . The conference dinner d l feature an address by Alvin Ill. Weinberg, director of the Oak Ridge Sational Lahoratory. n-ho will speak on the subject of “Future Goals for Large Scale Research.” The scope of the subjects covered in the technical sessions is large. as indicated by the abstracts (pages 305 to 329). They iiirlude organic, metal and alloy analyses, polarography, radiochemical methods, s-ray, infrared, and ultraviolet spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and flame photometry. In looking over this program and recalling earlier coiifereuces. we are amazed at its rapid growth. The first such meeting, held in 1950, lasted 3 days, featured 56 papers. and had Tvhat was considered t o be a surprisingly high registration of 767. Attendance now is on the orclrr uf 2000. In 1950, there were 14 exhibiting cornpanlei In 1955, 37 will participate. The Pit t *burgh Conference, the summer symposium, nncl other ypecial meetings. plus the Xnalytical Division
In Unity There Is Strength old adage that i n unity there is strength ~ v i t vel! i illustrated in a recent tax case involving the profesional status of an analytical chemist. To chemists arid chemical engineers it is asiomatic that chemistry is a profession. I n the case at hand, however, it took nine years for a chemist, aided b\counsel and expert u-itnesses secured by the A h r E R I CY S CHEMICAL SOCIETY, to establish his professional statu*. The story, as outlined elsewhere i n this isaiie (page 28 &A),centers about ,$braham Nirkiii. analytical cheniist and XCS member, n-ho owns and operates the Ptlirkin Ainalytical and Pathological Laboratory in SenYork. I n 19-16 lie sought the same tax elemption on an unincorporated business Jvhich is allon-ed other professional men engaged in the practice of their professions. New York tax authorities rejected his claim. This led to a long legal battle, which finally elided with a decision supporting Illirkin’s position. Without the support of the ;\CS with its more than 70,000 members, chemists and chemical eugineeri. individually or in small groups. would often find it difficult if not impossible to fight effectively for professional recognition, This is particdarly true where longdrawn-out and espensive litigation is irivoll-ed This has happened in the past and can happen again. The L % ~ CHEMICAL ~ ~ ~ SOCIETY ~ ~ participated . i ~ in this case as it has in other legal cases in which profesioiial recognition of chemists and chemical engineers v a s an issue IVe are happy to report that. i n all these instances, professio~ial status was recognized. Theae constitute a very practical reason why ei’ery chemist should be a member of the *\1cS. THE
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