GC/GC interface optimizes difficult samples Scientists at General Electric's Research & Development Center in Schenectady, N.Y., have developed a sophisticated analytical system that overcomes the two big problems caused by excessively large samples: poor chromatographic resolution due to column overload, and contamination of the MS ion source due to high pressure. Here, chemists Woodfin V. Ligon (left) and Ralph J. May are preparing to inject a complex mixture into a high-capacity GC column. As each component is eluted, an electronic flow controller diverts a measured fraction of it into a cold trap. The trapped fractions are chosen to optimize GC/MS analysis, and are roughly comparable by weight. Finally, the contents of the cold trap—consisting of the optimized mixture—are swept into a capillary GC column linked to a mass spectrometer. Thus, nanogram amounts of a compound can be determined without interference from higher levels of other components in the sample.
cruise considerably lower) and at speeds of 30 to 40 mph, MacCready says. The Californians plan to fly the Solar Challenger sometime in the fall. The projects have been undertaken with the cooperation and sponsorship of Du Pont, which manufactures many of the lightweight materials used to build the planes. The materials include Kevlar, an aramid fiber used for structural reinforcements and in stabilizing cords; Delrin acetal resin used in pulleys in the control
systems; and Mylar polyester film, used as a covering material on the craft. In a joint statement, MacCready and Du Pont officials note that although the practical use of solar energy awaits future development, "we want to emphasize the long-range potential of alternative energy sources—particularly in the photovoltaic cell area—and to call attention to the need for innovative approaches to the use of energy-efficient engineering materials." •
NSF study assesses out! ok for science Science and technology can go a long way toward helping solve many of the nation's problems, including those in energy, health, and food. That's the basic message of "The Five-Year Outlook: Problems, Opportunities, and Constraints in Science and Technology," a two-volume analysis just published by the National Science Foundation. It's the first such long-range outlook to be prepared in response to a 1976 Congressional mandate that such an assessment be made periodically. In presenting its message, the NSF report carries echoes of the historic 1945 report "Science—The Endless Frontier" prepared under the direction of Vannevar Bush, director of the World War II Office of Scientific Research & Development. That report had a good deal to do with stimulating the growth of U.S. science in 8
C&EN June 9, 1980
the two decades following World War II. Indeed, NSF director Richard C. Atkinson notes in a personal statement leading off the NSF report that the wisdom inherent in the nation's acceptance of the Bush report's recommendations is amply illustrated in the new study. Bush's admonition, he says, deserves re-emphasis. "Science, by itself," Bush said, "provides no panacea for individual, social, and economic ills. .. . But without scientific progress no amount of achievement in other directions can insure our health, prosperity, and security as a nation in the modern world." "Finding more effective ways to use science and technology," Atkinson says, "is among the most important challenges the nation faces in the next five years."
In its approach to characterizing those challenges and the potential contribution of science and technology in meeting them, NSF focused on a number of problems of national concern. These include energy, materials, transportation, space, agriculture, health, the electronic revolution, and the perception and management of hazards and risks. To get source material for the project, NSF invited self-contained contributions from numerous sources. A major contribution came from the National Academy of Sciences, which late last year published its effort as a book: "Science and Technology: A Five-Year Outlook" (C&EN, Dec. 24, 1979, page 5). In fact, the academy was satisfied enough with its effort that it is planning on what most likely will be a biennial series of rolling five-year outlooks and is selecting subject areas for its next report. In addition to the NAS effort, NSF solicited reports from 21 U.S. government agencies that discuss opportunities and problems in the relationships of science, technology, and public policy from the perspectives of the individual agency missions. The agencies included those whose estimated obligations for R&D for fiscal year 1978 exceeded $100 million, along with the Department of Housing & Urban Development, the Department of State, and the Food & Drug Administration. As a third input, NSF commissioned papers from individual specialists who provided their views and assessments concerning the relationships between science and technology, public policy and practice, and selected socioeconomic goals. NSF's next step was to extract material from the various sources relating to opportunities, problems, and policy questions that appeared to warrant special consideration during the next five years and synthesize the material under the eight topical headings. Thus, NSF says, the fiveyear outlook's primary claim to originality rests upon the assembly, organization, and interpretation of the information. Both volumes of the report are available from the Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402. Volume I (stock number 038-00000442-5, $4.25) contains the topical syntheses written entirely by NSF, along with a synopsis of the agency reports and commissioned papers. It also includes an index to both volumes. Volume II (stock number 038-000-00441-7, $15) is a compilation of all the source documents, including the NAS report. D
