Which topics should be covered in instrumental analysis lecture and which instrumental techniques should be used in the instrumental laboratory? We surveyed a randomly chosen group of analytical chemistry faculty using a survey that had been used before. We compare our 1998 responses to those obtained in 1981 to observe long-term trends in the teaching of instrumental analysis and instrumental analysis laboratory.Our survey shows that the instrumental laboratory has changed more than the instrumental lecture. Four experiments that were often used in 1981, infrared, NMR, electrochemical methods, and gas chromatography, have declined in usage. Six experiments are increasing in usage: molecular fluorescence, atomic absorption spectroscopy, GC-MS, cyclic voltammetry, HPLC, and elementary electronics. It appears that there is a consensus about which experimental techniques the instrumental course should offer to undergraduates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.