This review follows the previous one {!) and covers the period from October 1985 to October 1987. During this period there were about 600 publications which deal with the analysis of organic materials for the determination of the elements being present either as major components or as trace constituents.
CARBON, HYDROGEN, NITROGENWhile commercial CHN analyzers have become standard equipment in organic analysis laboratories, workers are still constructing home-made apparatus or modifying purchased machines to suit special needs. Binkowski et al. ( 2) described an appratus for the automated analysis of 33 samples (0.3-3.5 mg) in 6 h; the C02, H20, and N2 produced in a stream of He are separated by gas chromatography and measured by thermal conductivity. According to Honma et al. (3), in order to obtain a result within ±0,3% of the theoretical by using the thermal conductivity technique, the sensitivity factors for C, H, and N should be within ±0.062, ±2.70, and ±0.20 pV/pg, respectively. These workers analyzed volatile compounds by placing the sample in a silica capsule which is sealed with indium foil (4) and used an S-shaped reduction tube (5) for the Perkin-Elmer CHN analyzer. Sugawara et al. ( 6) modified the Hewlett-Packard operation procedure in order to determine low levels of C, H, and N. Saito et al. ( 7) analyzed coal and liquid fuel by pyrolyzing the sample under He, followed by oxidation of the volatile matter in heated CuO; H20 and C02 are determined gravimetrically. For the removal of nitrogen oxides in C-H determination, Kent (8) recommended a new absorbent con-T. S. Ma is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the City University of New York where he retired recently after completion of 25 years of service. Professor Ma now divides his time between writing at home In North Carolina and consulting or lecturing abroad. He has written 7 books, 6 chapters In chemical treatises, and 150 research papers. He has lectured in many countries during the past 3 decades. He served twice as Fulbright Lecturer and once as American specialist with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the State Department. ProfessorMa Is editor of Mikrochlmlca Acta, the international Journal on microchemistry and trace analysis. The current interests of Professor Ma are concerned with microchemical investigation of medicinal plants, organic analysis and synthesis in the milligram to microgram range, and the use of small-scale, inexpensive equipment to teach chemistry. Professor Ma received the Benedettl-Pichler Award In Mlcrochemlstry in 1976.