Computers in Analytical Chemistry

The analytical chemist is in the forefront of the race to use computers in laboratory work. The modern laboratory has a large number of instruments churning out information, and mechanized procedures for handling the huge amount of data are imperative. The marriage of instruments and computers is offered as a way of easing the burden on the scientist, as well as optimiz- ing the performance of the analytical instruments. Computer systems can be applied to all the major analytical instrument procedures, and many of the leading instrument manufacturers are developing and producing systems for use in the laboratory, both for data acquisition and for control purposes. It is, therefore, timely that the session on computers in analytical chem- istry of the Eastern Analytical Symposium, held in November 1968, be published in this series, which has as its aim progress in analytical chemistry. The contents are wide-ranging and include applications to mass spectrometry, X-ray spectrography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chroma- tography, infrared spectrography, the use of dedicated computers, and the multiple user laboratory. Thanks are due to the authors of the papers and to the session chairmen for their efforts in the production of this very worthwhile addition to the series.