Report
Sidney Siggia Department of Chemistry University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mass. 01002
Analytical chemists easily slip into a secondary position because of the na ture of their work. They help elucidate systems for others, usually on request. This mode of operation can establish a "set" in the psychology of the analyti cal chemist so that when he is not working on someone else's problem, he will wait around for a problem to arise and be brought to him. However, a primary analytical chemist is one who sees areas where there is work to be done and gets in there and does it. For example, we have the area of on-stream analysis. This is chemical analysis in the strictest sense; yet, the field is dominated by chemical engi neers who need the analyses and take the bit in their teeth and attempt to fill their needs. They do fairly well, but an analytical chemist together with the engineer would do a better job. The engineer best knows the sys tem with which he is working. The an alytical chemist knows the best ana lytical approaches applicable to that system to obtain the required degree of control. There are very few analyti cal chemists active in the field of pro cess analysis, and these few are trained on the job. Very few schools discuss the subject in their analytical courses; indeed, many students do not even know that there is such a thing as on-stream, in-process analysis. Environmental analysis is another area in which the analytical chemist inserts himself into the field after the environmentalists are already into it. Standard methods for environmental monitoring are devised, limits set, and much data gathered, with little or no input from the analytical chemical sector until late in the game. Oceanography is an area needing analytical backup, but few analytical chemists are involved. Oceanographers are making the analytical deci sions, carrying out the analyses, and interpreting the data. The biomedical and biochemical areas are very big areas of current and perennial interest. Much work is going on in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disorders, and mental health. The research work in these fields is hampered by the lack of ade quate analytical methodology. How does one measure the various hor mones, enzymes, biogenic amines, and other necessary chemical materials in human matrices at physiological lev els? Indeed, wouldn't a chemical test
Primary Analytical Chemists
S I D N E Y SIGGIA, professor of analyti
cal chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, has an outstanding career which includes 23 years in in dustry and 8 years as an academic scientist. Because of this broad expe rience in both industrial and univer sity fields, he has an unusually per ceptive view of the field of analytical chemistry. When the editors invited him to prepare some remarks on the field for ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY'S
readers, we did not know that he had, most appropriately, been chosen to receive the 1975 ACS Award in Ana lytical Chemistry (sponsored by Fish er Scientific Co.). Announcement of this award and a biography of Profes sor Siggia appeared in ANAL. C H E M . , ρ 1031 A, Oct. 1974. He will receive the award and present an address at the Spring National ACS Meeting, Apr. 6-11, 1975, Philadelphia, Pa.
for detecting cancer in the body be a very valuable contribution? Wouldn't the ability to determine the biogenic amine balance related to the presence of epileptic conditions enable us to control this disorder? There are many human, animal, and plant disorders about which we know little because analytical methods are lacking. We are leaving this analytical work to a large degree to the biochemist and medical men to resolve. Their training in ana lytical chemistry, especially in the modern methods, is often lacking. One of the reasons for the reluc tance of analytical chemists to enter the areas of in-process analysis, enviromental, energy, oceanography, bio medical, and other areas is that they know little about the chemical situa tions and the chemistry involved in these systems. This doesn't mean that they cannot learn these aspects or enough about them to operate togeth er with the engineer, oceanographer, doctor, etc. The most important characteristics of a primary analytical man are: selfconfidence, drive, love of subject, ag gressiveness, tenacity, technical abili ty, and the ability to work with others. Indeed, these characteristics are nec essary for primary men in all disci plines. One big qualification of the primary analytical man is that he be "situation oriented". He must be cog nizant of the point behind the re quired analysis or analytical method. He is geared to the overall problem, not just to the measurement of a spe cific component. Problem oriented, he is choosing analytical directions toward the overall good. Number ori ented, he is merely a technician. Now how do we train students toward becoming primary analytical chemists? Note that I say train, not teach. We can teach principles, but "primaryness" has a large personality component. We can only exercise and direct the potential in the student himself. To increase the number of primary analytical chemists among us, we must attract students with the psy chological factors mentioned above to drive them toward leadership posi tions, and they must also have the na tive intelligence and educational back ground to make them effective in carrying out the directions they choose. The work "training" implies expo sure to situations and conditions par-
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 47, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 1975 · 207 A
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allel to the student's goal. If our analytical courses consist solely of techniques and principles, even though they might be sophisticated, we train technicians and theoreticians. If we want primary analytical chemists, we must confront the student with chemical situations in which he must determine the components to be measured and also must exercise judgment to select the best method among several. He must decide how far to go to get results of adequate reliability, keeping time and cost in mind. Our teaching courses must also be training courses. The author has found that undergraduate students, even sophomores, are capable of handling problems as long as the scope of the problem is within their chemical background, though some students can be carried beyond their background if their ability to learn on their own is high enough. Most students enjoy the challenge of a problem, and most are fascinated by the power in their discipline. They gain a high degree of self-confidence by this approach and learn to coordinate the facts and basic principles into solutions to specific or generalized problems. They also get a taste of what a primary analytical chemist does and of the "primaryness" within themselves. Quizzes and oral questioning can also be in the form of real-life problems. Oral and written presentations by the students on their work also train. Students generally like to talk about their work—they are generally proud of it. Presenting it to a group yields satisfaction and confidence, as well as valuable practice. Field trips to chemical plants and research labs are effective as training items. Seeing chemistry in action and seeing that the chemistry learned can be used and how it is used are intriguing. The student finds that he can understand the chemistry going on in the process being observed, and this is a confidence-building discovery. There are some chemical facilities near most colleges and universities, and these usually are glad to have student groups in for a visit. The author finds that on the drive home after a field trip, discussion among the students is usually quite spirited in rehashing what they saw. There is another factor to be considered in the training of analytical chemists. This is the "people factor." Analytical chemists seldom work alone. As pointed out above, they often work with engineers, synthesis chemists, geologists, law enforcers, anthropologists, or others. This association requires that the analytical chemist be not only technically capable but also psychologically apt, stable, and secure. He must state his findings and
CIRCLE 133 ON READER SERVICE CARD 208 A · ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 47, NO. 2, FEBRUARY
1975
firmly stand by them. Yet, he must leave some retreating room should his results be in error. If he is a milquetoast, he will be trod upon each time his results vary from the chemists' notion of what the results should be. If the analytical chemist is too firm in his stand, then if proven wrong, he will lose the confidence of the group he is serving. A proper balance of caution and certainty is needed. The author introduces the "people factor" in his training program by assigning the students in his analytical chemistry course to the students in the synthesis organic class. The analytical chemists analyze a preparation synthesized by the organic chemists. As usual, when the analysis agrees with the organic chemists' idea of what it should be, all is well. However, often the analysis does not agree, and the organic and analytical chemists must decide if a repurification is called for or a reanalysis. The exchanges are often quite vigorous, but this is part of analysis life. There is yet another facet to the training of primary analytical chemists. It has been stated above that analytical chemists operate in a broad matrix of areas requiring the elucidation of matter. The author, for example, while employed in the chemical industry, has worked in pharmaceutical, geological, archeological, environmental, biomedical, forensic, legal, and management systems. In strictly chemical work, he has worked with polymers, detergents, photographic chemicals, automotive chemicals, and related materials (additives used for specific purposes). He benefited from solid courses in organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as courses in physics, geology, biology, and polymers. It suffices to say that an analytical chemist doesn't just analyze, he analyzes something. The more he understands about the "something," as well as the more he understands about analysis, the more "primary" a man he will be. Students of analytical chemistry should take all the courses in basic analytical chemistry that they can and should also take as many courses in peripheral sciences to give them the background that will better help them function at a leadership level. If analytical chemists and their disciplines are to be recognized as primary and as necessary to the practice of chemistry, we must attract students with leadership qualities, we must teach them well and train them well, we must encourage them in the pursuit of their careers, and we must advise them to become as well-informed scientists as they can become. If we succeed in this, we need have no fears of analytical chemistry becoming a "secondary" science.
