Analytical chemistry makes the news
University departments traditionally divided chemistry into inorganic, organic and physical subsets, with analytical chemistry sitting somewhere in between. But this is changing. The teaching of analytical chemistry is currently undergoing a renaissance in many universities.
One area of chemistry that regularly receives positive attention in the media is analytical chemistry1,2 - the measurement of chemical composition - though it is rarely recognised by the general public as being 'chemistry' at all.3,4 The Cassini space probe, which is currently orbiting Saturn is just one example. Many people will have been impressed by the detailed photographs of Saturn's rings, and a superb view of the planet Jupiter, but few will have realised that much of the data being sent back to Earth from this probe have been obtained by a wide range of analytical techniques, including IR and UV-Visible spectroscopy.
There is also an abundance of TV and radio programmes featuring scientific investigations - fictional and factual - which rely on chemical analysis to reach a conclusion. In all of these cases - from archaeology and forensics, through environmental issues, to medical matters - analytical chemists are at the forefront of identifying problems and finding solutions. Against this background it is perhaps not surprising that the teaching of analytical chemistry in universities is taking on a new importance. But there is a bit more to it.
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