A N A L Y T I C A L CH EM1S T R Y WALTER J. MURPHY, Editorial Director
HE mechanic is only as competent as his tools are good. TSimilarly, the accuracy of results reported by the chemical analyst is completely dependent upon the quality of the reagents employed. This is why the work of one of the oldest committees of the AMERICASCHEWCSLSOCIETY, the Committee on Analytic ~ t lReagents, is of such paramount importance to the chemical profession and to a11 industry, where analytical chemistiy is essential in research and in the maintenance of quality. I t is with deep pleasure and pride that we announce the availability of the latest book-(‘Reagent Chemicals”-the h f E R I C 4 S CLIE\IICAL SOCIETY Specifications made official by action of the Society’s Council on ,4pril 3, 1955, We of the editorial staff of ANALYTIC %L CHEMISTRY are pleased to have been privileged to pxticipate in its preparation. Our part has been to edit and produce it, after the able and hard-working committee turned over to us the completed manuscript. K e are particularly proud of our connections n i t h the 1950 and 1955 editions. In contents and in appearance, we believe they are worthy of the official endorsement given to them by the world’s largest scientific society. The preface to the 1950 edition contains some early history that is worth summarizing. ,4s early as 1903, the ACS was concerned n ith the uncertain quality of chemical reagents then being marketed. I n that year, the Council appointed a Comrnittee on the Purity of Chemical Reagents, consisting of John H. Long, chairman; K.F. Hillebrand, secretary; Charles Baskerville, L. hl. Dennis, and H. P. Talbot. This coniniittee held one meeting and outlined a program of specificationg. I t did not, however, issue any specifications. Severtheless, the fact that such a committee was in existence did mert influence ton ard better quality of reagents and a decrease i n the discrepancies betn-een labels and contents of packages of reagent chemicals. Unfortunately, the comniittee was not reappointed when its appointment expired a t the spring meeting of the Society in S e w Orleans in 1915. One man, a real crusader, continued to emphasize the need for better reagents more accurately labeled. He was W. F. Hillebrand, and through his influence a ne\< group was appointed i n January 1917, this time with the official designation Committee on Analyzed Reagents. Hillebrand was appointed chairman, ~ i t Charles h Baskerville and W.D. Rigelow as the other meniI)ers. Space does not permit us to trace the history of this committee from 1917 t o the present. The 1950 and now the 1955 editions of “Reagent Chemicals,” however, amply testify to the effectiveness of its work. The standards that have been set by the com-
mittee in these volumes enjoy world wide recognition because they offer a trustxorthy basis of understanding between producer and consumer concerning the quality of laboratory chemicals. There is one aspect of the committee’s history that, perhaps, has not been pointed out. I t is the role played by the Sational Bureau of Standards in helping to improve the quality and labeling of reagent chemicals down through the years. Hillebrand, lvho did the early pioneering, is one of the great names in the history of the bureau and of the Society. His name is perpetuated by the Hillebrand Prize given each year by the Chemical Society of Washington (the Washington Section of the ACS). Great credit for the continued success of the committee should go also to W.D. Collins, for years associated ~ i t h the Geological Survey, who served as chaii nian in the clritical gears 1925 to 1942. Since 1943, the chairman has been Edward Wirliers of the Sational Bureau of Standards. Under his direction, the mork of the committee has expanded considerably, making possible the greatly enlarged 1950 and 1955 editions. The office of chairman of a committee, such as that on Reagent Chemicals, requires a tremendous amount of painstaking care, drive, and initiative, and is very time-consuming, yet frequently these services are not fully understood nor appreciated even by those who directly benefit. I t is, therefore, very fitting that Edward Wichers be highly commended a t this time for his servites to the broad field of analysis. \Ye can understand his reluctance to continue as chairman after 13 or 14 years of intense effort. He has heavy administrative responsibilities a t the bureau, and is chairman of the Section on Inorganic Chemistry of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. While Dr. Wichers has stepped down as chairman of the Committee on Analytical Reagents, he has consented to continue as a member. The analytical profession and industry in general owe him a great debt of gratitude. W.Stanley Clabaugh, also of the Bureau of Standards, has succeeded Dr. Wichers as chairman of the committee. And now some specific comments on the 1955 edition. It contains 17 new specifications and several hiindred changes in requirements and in test procedures. As a reference book, it should be in every laboratory n-here chemical analyses are made. Despite ever-rising production costs, the 1955 edition is priced a t only a very modest increase over the 1950 edition. I t is available at $6.50 per copy through the Special Publications Department of the Society.
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