Letters
Educating the Public Sir: This letter is in reference to Ms. Petruzzi's EDITORS' COLUMN which appeared in t h e J u n e 1979 issue of ANALYTICAL
CHEMISTRY.
It is refreshing, and indeed stimulating to see efforts being made towards bridging t h e scientific information gap. I t should be a p p a r e n t t h a t t h e majority of existing scientific knowledge is possessed by a minority of individuals. This minority has t h e moral obligation of spreading its farreaching tenticles out to t h e majority and making them less afraid of t h e scientific community in general. Science should a t t e m p t t o recapture its intended innocuous definition of "knowledge" rather t h a n feeding its modern definition of "incomprehensible, disastrous, and cloisterous". It is,
therefore, not only t h e duty of SciQuest t o make "ordinary mortals" aware of their environment, b u t t h e duty of each and every scientist to do so. It is to this point t h a t I wish t o address my sentiments. If one choses not t o explain to one's own sphere of influence t h e generalities concerning his scientific specialties, he is committing a grave sin. Granted it may be easier t o say t h a t I am a "chemist doing basic research" rather than " a spectroscopist studying fundamental physical processes in t h e gas phase as well as t h e condensed phase via laser excitation". Let us come down off our exalted altars a n d preach to t h e people of what we do. Let us rid ourselves of t h e technical jargon t h a t we have so intricately become entwined in and recall t h a t we too were once "mere m o r t a l s " under-
standing nothing more t h a n "plain English". Furthermore, as we as a society become more concerned with our scientific environment, there should develop an increased demand for those interested in educating t h e public. T h e problem, therefore, is to bring t o t h e attention of interested graduate students, t h e future educators of society, possible career opportunities along these lines. For as it stands now, there seems to be a larger gap in this field of endeavor t h a n t h a t between graduate school and industry. Sam B a y e r Department of Chemistry University of Florida Gainesville, Fla. 32611
GSV Calibration
Spectrophotometers are their business. Accessories are ours.
To manufacturers of infrared spectrophotometers, accessories are a sideline. To Barnes, analytical accessories are a specialty —the only spectroscopy products we make. Because Barnes concentrates on accessories, all of our attention, skill, and experience is invested in quality and instrument compatibility at low prices. And for quick, personal service, we offer a toll-free number outside Connecticut (800)243-3498. Ask for the Barnes analytical accessories catalog—windows, liquid and solid sampling items, gas cells, reflectance units, and much more. What's an afterthought for most manufacturers is Barnes' first thought. Barnes Engineering Company, 30 Commerce Road, Stamford, Ct. 06904, (203) 348-5381.
BARNES
Your IR spectroscopy source CIRCLE 18 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Sir: We are writing to draw t o t h e attention of your readers a possible source of systematic error associated with t h e use of gas sampling valves (GSV) in gas-liquid chromatographs. T o confirm t h e mass of vapor adsorbed onto a carbon bed, which was determined by weighing on an analytical balance, t h e mass of vapor adsorbed was also calculated from t h e product of t h e vapor concentration, the volumetric flow rate, a n d t h e duration of t h e run. T h e latter always overestimated, by 15 to 20%, t h e mass of vapor adsorbed. Uncertainties in t h e volumetric flow rate and t h e duration of t h e run could not account for deviations of this magnitude. Finally, we measured t h e volume of t h e 0.25 c m 3 (nominal) GSV using a liquid of known density. T h e result was 0.29 cm 3 ,16% greater t h a n the nominal volume. Calibration of our other GSVs (0.25 and 0.5 c m 3 nominal) yielded volumes of 0.29 and 0.58 cm 3 , respectively. So far as we have been able to determine, GSVs are not usually calibrated. Our experience indicates t h a t they should be. E. B . Sansone Y. B. T e w a r i L. A. J o n a s Frederick Cancer Research Center Frederick, Md. 21701
