SYMPOSIUM: lnorganic Chemistry in the Curriculum: What Should be Left In and What Should be Left Out Introduction T h e Aurmst 1950 number of this Journal contains the proceedings of the "Symposium on the Place of Inorganic Chemistry in the Undergraduate Curriculum" which was presented at the Fall 1949 Nationaal ACS meeting at Atlantic City. Many of the concerns: 1) the gradual replacement of descriptive inorganic chemistry by
theory in the general chemistry course, 2) the amount of inorganic course material required in the ACS Committee on Professional Training guidelines, 3) the role of qualitative analysis in the undergraduate curriculum, 4) the advantage of placing the undergraduate inorganic chemistry course before (or after) the physical chemistry course, and 5) the choice between a general survey of descriptive inorganic chemistry versus intensive study of selected representative topics, voiced in that excellent series of papers have a decidedly contemporary ring? Feeling that a re-examination of this problem was warranted, the Division of Chemical Education, Inc., jointly with the Division of Inorganic Chemistry, ACS, presented a "Symposium: Inorganic Chemistry in the Curriculum: What Should Be Left In and What Should Be Left 0 u t " a t the Fall
meeting of the ACS, Las Vegas, 1980. Summaries of papers presented a t that 1980 Symposium along with areport of the panel discussion which followed are presented It should he noted that Professor H. C. Brown of Purdue University who served as a panelist in the 1980 Symposium was also co-author (with Professor C. L. Rulfs) of the leadoff paper in the 1949 Symposium.
Acknowledgment T h e organizer would like to acknowledge with thanks the aid of Bob Parry, Harry Gray, and Derk Davenport in forming the symposium. 'Readers interested in very recent data touching on many of these same concerns may write far a copy of "The Teaching of Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry:Survey Results and Recommendation", a report of the Curriculum Committee, DIVCHED, ACS from Ronald W. Collins, Department of Chemistry, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197. 2Reprintsof the entire Symposium as published on these pages are available from: Professor E. K. Mellon, Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306. E. K. Mellon Florida State University Tallahassee. FL 32306
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