Waters Symposium: Electrochemistry edited by Adrian C. Michael University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Waters Symposium
The 16th James L. Waters Annual Symposium: Electrochemistry Adrian C. Michael Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260;
[email protected] The James L. Waters Symposium is held annually as part of the technical program of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. The objective of the symposium series is to preserve the history of and recognize the pioneers behind the invention, development, and commercialization of scientific instrumentation of major significance. The symposia are funded by James L. Waters, while the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP) is entirely responsible for the selection of topics and speakers. The topic of the 16th symposium, which took place in Orlando, FL, on February 28, 2005, was electrochemistry, with emphasis on methods involving the flow of current. A previous symposium in this series, held in 1996, addressed the potentiometric aspects of electrochemistry. The current-based methods of electrochemistry are derived from polarography for which Jaroslav Heyrovsky received the 1959 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Heyrovsky’s studies of the dropping mercury electrode sparked intense activity in the field of electrochemistry that led to a variety of electrode designs, experimental techniques and instrumentation, and new applications in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Polarographic instrumentation became commercially available during the 1920s and improvement in the design and capabilities of instruments continues to this day. Research and development leading to new electrochemical detectors, sensors, microelectrodes, electrochemistry at nanoscale structures, and scanning electrochemical microscopy define the modern forefront of the discipline. The commercial significance and success of electroanalysis is unquestionable, with electrochemical glucose sensors alone generating multi-billion-dollar annual revenues. The speakers in this year’s symposium are uniquely qualified to review the history of electroanalytical chemistry starting with Heyrovsky’s initial studies and culminating with the present state of the art. Each has contributed significantly to the scientific, technical, and commercial development of the field. The SACP is grateful for their willingness to participate in the symposium. Allen J. Bard holds the Hackerman–Welch Regents Chair in Chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin. His broad research interests include the mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions, applications of electrogenerated chemiluminescence, photoelectrochemistry, and scanning electrochemical microscopy. He has edited numerous volumes on electro-
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analysis and, with Larry Faulkner, coauthored a textbook on the fundamental and applied aspects of electroanalytical techniques. Peter T. Kissinger is the founder and CEO of Bioanalytical Systems, Inc. (BAS) and professor of chemistry at Purdue University. He founded BAS in 1974 as an outgrowth of his research on monitoring neurotransmitters and metabolites in living systems. He has been a pioneer in the development of instrumentation for electrochemical research and electrochemical detection coupled to liquid chromatography. Jud B. Flato is presently the managing partner of J. B. Flato and Associates. Formerly, he was with Princeton Applied Research, developers of an extensive line of commercial, relatively low-cost electroanalytical and electrochemical instrumentation that made a substantial contribution to the growth of electrochemistry. The SACP places a high priority on publishing the proceeding of the Waters Symposia. The papers of the first symposium were published in LC–GC Magazine (1) and those of the next four in Analytical Chemistry (2). Since 1997, the papers have appeared in this Journal (3). The proceedings of the 16th symposium appear on the following pages of this issue. Literature Cited 1. Gas chromatography: LC–GC 1990, 8, 716–724; LC–GC 1990, 8, 782–786; LC–GC 1990, 8, 854–860. 2. (a) Atomic absorption spectroscopy: Anal. Chem. 1991, 63, 924A–941A; Anal. Chem. 1991, 63, 1025A–1038A. (b) Infrared spectroscopy: Anal. Chem. 1992, 64, 824A–838A; Anal. Chem. 1992, 64, 868A–883A. (c) Nuclear magnetic spectrometry: Anal. Chem. 1993, 65, 725A–753A. (d) Mass spectrometry: Anal. Chem. 1994, 66, 969A–975A; Anal. Chem. 1994, 66, 961A–964A. 3. (a) High-performance liquid chromatography: J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 37–48. (b) Ion selective electrodes: J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 159–182. (c) Lasers in chemistry: J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 555–570. (d) Immunoassay: J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 767–792. (e) Atomic emission spectroscopy: J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 573–607. (f ) X-ray diffraction: J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 601–616. (g) Ion chromatography: J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 1277–1302. (h) Electron spectroscopy: J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 1725–1766. (i) Raman spectroscopy: J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 49–80.
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