SPECIAL REPORT
Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry by J. W. Robinson, Professor of Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Chemistry
This Special Report was written by Professor Robinson at the request of the Analytical Chemistry Division's Committee on the Status of the Profession of Analytical Chemistry. The Editors will continue to support the objectives of this Committee, chaired by Dr. John Funkhouser, as the profession and its future are closely explored during the next several months.
τ τ is BEING SAID, and with some -l reason, that analytical chemis try is disappearing from the under graduate curriculum in chemistry. Why is this so? Because it is a plain statement of fact that courses designated as "analytical chemis try" are being dropped from the "required course list" by a number of our leading colleges and univer sities. One reason is because the subject matter presented seems to bear little relationship to the chem istry as practiced today and that is likely to be practiced in the future. In short, analytical chemistry has a bad image. We all know the drudgery in volved in the traditional "Quant" course, for students and faculty alike. One exposure to such a course is generally enough for most aspiring chemists. What is the nat ural reaction? Drop the course ! In spite of this gloomy outlook, beneath the surface the outlook is not nearly so grim. Analytical chemistry is a subject which all branches of chemistry and allied fields must use in order to survive. As a result, organic chemists are teaching subjects such as gas chro matography, infrared, ultraviolet, nuclear magnetic resonance, etc. Physical chemists teach X-ray, nu clear science, statistics, etc. They need to understand these fields in order to carry out research work. Further, they frequently t r y to teach them as an analytical techni que in the same way that an analy tical chemist should because this is the way that these phenomena must be used in the research laboratory to obtain the desired data.
In short analytical chemistry is not disappearing from the under graduate curriculum, but academic analytical chemists are. Is this desirable? Probably not, because in the final analysis the analytical chemist ought to be more able to teach the analytical aspects of the various chemical and physical phenomena better than other chem ists. He should be well grounded in many branches of science because he is not necessarily oriented to a particular aspect of chemistry. Further, most organic or physical chemists would rather teach organic or physical chemistry than take up time teaching a supporting field. For example, to teach with under standing IR, UV, NMR, and GC in an organic chemistry course would take up a major period of time. It would therefore be more desirable from everyone's point of view for the analytical chemist to teach ana lytical chemistry in which all the major analytical fields are covered. The relationship between each field should be emphasized so that the student is taught how best to get the data he needs. One complication muddies the water. With today's keen competi tion among faculty for course hours, some faculty prefer to teach allied fields with their own rather than re linquish the time completely to the allied field. It is true that the or ganic chemist is better able to teach structural chemistry when the stu dent understands spectroscopy. The good organic chemist can teach spectroscopy in a course in organic chemistry. However, since this is not his principal interest, there is
always the danger that the subject will not be taught in depth. The same criticism can be levied at some analytical chemists and for the same reason.
The Cure
In order to reverse this trend, academic analytical chemists must face the situation squarely. They must earn the respect of their fellow chemists by doing worthwhile re search work and teaching worth while material. This will require some deep self-evaluation. They must be willing to teach the funda mentals of their field in depth and to perform research which is a gen uine contribution to science today. Many well-known analytical chem ists will not face the fact that classi cal gravimetric, volumetric, and even some forms of electrochemis try are becoming obsolete as ana lytical tools. This resistance to change only prolongs the agony and ensures the ultimate death of the discipline. Modern analytical chemistry is a thriving, exciting field in industry and in the university. In the life sciences and biochemistry, it is opening up many new areas of study. Many academic analytical chemists are failing to keep pace with this tremendous progress. Recommended Courses
Even though "wet" analytical chemistry is steadily becoming ob solete as an analytical tool, it is still a desirable vehicle for teaching cerVOL. 40, NO. 11, SEPTEMBER 1968
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SPECIAL REPORT
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tain principles and valuable lab oratory techniques to the new stu dent. The laboratory technique re quired to handle chemicals in a quantitative fashion must be learned by organic, inorganic, phys ical, and biochemists, as well as by analytical chemists. Technique should be taught in a general chem istry course at the freshmen level in order to acquaint the aspiring chem ist with the rudiments of his art as soon as possible. However, tech nique should not be confused with modern analytical chemistry be cause in practice it is no longer a major part of the subject and if taught as such, the student may never wish to meet the subject again. After the freshman year, the in stitution may or may not wish to separate chemistry majors and nonchemistry majors. The chemistry majors need to study the subject in depth. However, the non-chemistry majors need only a description course to acquaint them with the potential of the subject. Non-Chemistry Majors
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
"Quant." The t r a d i t i o n a l "Quant" course must teach modern analytical chemistry. This should include subjects such as chromatog raphy (both thin-layer and gas chromatography), infrared, ultra violet, and nuclear magnetic reso nance spectroscopy, flame photom etry, emission spectrography, colorimetry, electrochemistry, and per haps one advanced gravimetric or volumetric analysis topic. If the subject is taught only to non-chem istry majors, the subject should be descriptive with a little less empha sis on the quantitative aspect than if chemistry majors are involved. The statistical concepts of ana lytical chemistry should be covered in order to evaluate the data ob tained in or from the analytical lab oratory. The selection of topics and the depth of the instruction should be matched to the ability of the stu dents. This will vary from one uni versity to another and among soph omores, juniors, and seniors. Every effort should be made to update the laboratory. This may be diffi cult in some schools where equip
ment is a problem. However, it is always better to teach subjects such as infrared or NMR from sheets of spectra (and no equipment) than not to teach them at all. Chemistry Majors
It is important for the graduate chemist to learn the techniques of analytical chemistry as quickly as possible in order for them to be most useful in his research work. This argument does not obtain in the undergraduate curriculum. From the point of view of the analytical chemist, it is better to schedule the teaching of the subject as late as possible. The student will then have been exposed to physical, or ganic, and inorganic chemistry, and math. He will be better able to handle the many facets of the sub ject more easily. Broadly speaking, two types of courses can be offered ; • Elemental analysis, which may include X-ray fluorescence, electro chemistry, nuclear science, emission spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, colorimetry, volumet ric analysis, gravimetry, statistics, error analysis, etc. This course should be designed in conjunction with the physical chem istry group or division to avoid overlap. • Molecular characterization may include gas chromatography, thin layer chromatography, IR, UV, NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction (for polymer characteri zation) , thermal analysis, etc. This course should be taught in conjunc tion with the organic chemists to the extent that the student carries out a simple organic preparation and then characterizes his products by the analytical methods available. In the process he should learn how to set up a gas chromatographic procedure by the correct selection of the type of column and detector and by the determination of the correct carrier gas flow rate. He should also learn how to separate his sam ple into its components which can be examined independently. Fur ther, he must learn enough about the interpretation of spectra to identify the components of his original product. The combination of chromatography and spectros-
SPECIAL REPORT hit 1969 ?0 Catalog Lontains rim 8,000 orgemc chemicals "ί Jtiii Λι] 1;iLS·,
