J.T.Baker providesa case for quality for case reagent acids There's something on the outside of J. T. Baker case reagent acids that tells you about the high quality that's inside. That's the label. J. T. Baker puts it on every case and every bottle of "Baker Analyzed" nitric, acetic, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids (and also ammonium hydroxide). It tells you that the acid is reagent grade, details the actual analysis of the specific lot, and certifies that the acid meets A.C.S. specifications. (Incidentally, Baker pioneered this kind of information labeling.) That label is important when you consider that these five products are always among the ten most frequently used reagents in your laboratory. That label proves the kind of quality J. T. Baker creates for you in these reagents. We use the finest acid distillation equipment. Blend in large storage tanks to create a completely uniform product. Perform a host of control tests and analytical determinations. In addition, the six-cell case that holds Baker reagent acids is so designed that it occupies the minimum amount of space. So, don't buy reagents acids like run-of-the-mill industrial chemicals. They're too important to you—let J. T. Baker provide the best. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call your nearest J. T. Baker distributor. The acids you need will be in your laboratory as soon as you want them.
J. T. Baker Chemical Co. Phillipsburg, New Jersey Department AC-2D Please send me prices and data sheets on J. T. Baker reagent case acids and the location of the nearest J. T. Baker distributor. Name Title Company Address City
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At J.T.Bakeriinnovation begins with you... with 'Baker Analyzed' Reagents · Organic Laboratory Chemicals · Specialty Gases Circle No. 16 on Readers' Service Card
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
REPORT FOR A N A L Y T I C A L
CHEMISTS
ical chemists could be and are taught in other courses (in freshman general chemistry and in physical chemistry, particularly), the objectives of these courses differ considerably from those of the analytical chemistry course. The course in analytical chemistry is still needed to teach a point of view, to teach the student what the analytical chemist does. I t is quite true that many who have completed graduate work in analytical chemistry have worked on research problems which could almost equally well have been classified as physical chemistry problems. However, when we talk to candidates for employment in analytical chemistry research, we find that the man who has completed the requirements for a degree in analytical chemistry has an appreciation for the problems of the analytical chemist and an interest in such problems. On the contrary the physical chemistry graduate is often thoroughly indoctrinated with the idea that analytical chemistry is somehow a profession unworthy of his efforts. He often shows little appreciation for the problems of the analytical chemist and frequently shows a certain amount of disdain at the thought of being asked to consider employment in that field. At the same time we find that our physical chemist colleagues are eager to talk with candidates trained as analytical chemists and that they are not infrequently able to inbue them with the idea that work in their field is somehow superior to that of the analytical chemist. They readily recognize, however, that the training received by those with degrees in analytical chemistry is not inferior but instead produces a chemist worthy of being eagerly sought after. I t is paradoxical that, at a time when analytical chemists with the doctorate are much in demand in industrial and government laboratories, there is talk of deemphasizing analytical chemistry as a curriculum subject. The controversy over the change of the content of the analytical chemistry part of the curriculum is entirely understandable. Even twenty-five years ago, it was apparent that the analytical chemistry which was being taught in the
university was not that which was being used in industry. The very strong emphasis at that time on gravimetric analyses when industrial laboratories were replacing gravimetric procedures whenever possible is a prime example of this. The change which has taken place in the practice of analytical chemistry must be accompanied by a corresponding change in the subject matter of the curriculum if the analytical chemist is to continue to be well-prepared for his future. As an example of the change which has occurred, the analytical chemistry course which I had as an undergraduate did not include a single experiment on colorimetric (spectrophotometric) analysis, yet probably the greatest number of the analyses which are performed currently in our Division by any single method use spectrophotometric methods. This change has, of course, been brought about by the fact that many spectrophotometers are now available which are designed specifically for spectrophotometric analysis. This makes a colorimetric analysis a Vxpry simple, rapid, and reasonably precise procedure, whereas previously such a technique was slow, laborious, and imprecise. The development of many other instrumental analytical techniques has followed a similar course over the same period. Instruments have been developed which are capable of performing analyses rapidly and with good precision. Immediately there has been a rush to apply the "new" technique, which, in many cases, a review of the literature will show that it is not a "new" technique at all, but that the equipment previously available for performing the analysis was inconvenient and in some cases incapable of attaining the desired precision. Thus, the great change in analytical chemistry in the past two or three decades can be attributed in large measure to the improved instrumentation which has become available during that period. Correspondingly, the training that an analytical chemist receives must be changed from that given in the past if he expects to be able to cope with practical problems when he graduates. As to the actual content and the
