Abstract:
The phenomenal expansion on all fronts of chemistry is responsible for the fact that scientists tend to concentrate on one particular branch of chemistry.
The empirical development of chemistry was mainly analytical in nature. The important and indispensable analytical chemistry at first occupied a subordinate position. After about 1930 analytical chemistry is universally recognized as a scientific discipline of chemistry with chairs in analytical chemistry at a high percentage of universities. The increase in analytical journals and in analytical papers during the last 30 years, illustrates the increasing importance of analytical chemistry. The demand today for analytical chemists far exceeds the supply. Special courses in the department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry of the University of Pretoria cater to the analytical needs of the industry, etc.
Instrumentation, the progress of instrumentation, and the financial implications of instrumentation are discussed.
The discussion of separation techniques and research in analytical chemistry concludes the paper.
