JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY, AUGUST 1986, VOL. 1 25 1 Atomic Spectrometry Viewpoint lytical instrumentation from overseas. Atomic Spectroscopy in Spain I L J J . In May 1986 Les Ebdon, Neil Barnett and Dick Snook travelled to Oviedo in Spain to lecture on a short course on analysis by atomic emission spectroscopy with plasmas and atomic absorption electro- thermal atomisation, which was held at the University of Oviedo. While they were there they took the opportunity to discuss with Professor Alfredo Sanz- Medel, the leading Spanish atomic spec- troscopist, atomic spectroscopy in Spain. Professor Alfredo Sanz-Medel The atomic spectroscopy course was immediately followed by a course on aluminium toxicity, which was held at the General Hospital of the Asturias region.This was an international meeting with speakers from throughout Europe, including the prominent Scottish atomic spectroscopist Dr. Gordon Fell, who also contributed to the preceding atomic spec- troscopy programme. Professor Sanz-Medel has been running these atomic spectroscopy courses for some five years now with approximately 40 attendees each year. Another highlight of the meeting of Spanish atomic spec- troscopists occurs every two years when the Spanish Spectroscopy Group hold their international symposium, which this year will be in Torremolinos in October. The Spanish Spectroscopy Group consists of physical spectroscopists and analytical spectroscopists and together they form a lively spectrochemical group. This would suggest the widespread use of atomic spectroscopic equipment for analysis in Spain and there are approximately 30 plasma instruments, both ICP and DCP in the country.Maybe three of these are used in university research. It is to be expected that there will be a large growth in this area in future years. The use of XRF is widely spread throughout industry but there is no active university research in this area. There has been a tendency for atomic spectroscopic research to be under- funded within the university sector in Spain. This can be expected to change. A recent strategic meeting in Santander last year made recommendations to the Government that this area of research be expanded. This will probably be at the expense of the solution spectrophoto- metric research, for so long a feature of papers from Spain.The study of analytical chemistry is widespread in Spanish universities. There are some 25 chairs of analytical chemistry amongst the 30 universities in the country and therefore most universities have a Professor of Analytical Chemistry. As yet, atomic spectroscopy research has not been widespread. The work and research by Professor Sanz-Medel will already be widely known to the international com- munity, as probably will be that of Dr. Carmen Camara in Madrid working on electrothermal atomisation for ultra-trace determinations in biological materials and the hydride generation studies of the group in Zaragoza led by Dr. J. R. Castillo. Professor Valcarcel, whose con- tribution to flow injection analysis has brought widespread recognition , is presently engaged with his group in Cor- doba in the combination of flow injection with atomic absorption spectroscopy, par- ticularly for “on-line” separations and indirect analysis.In Valencia, Dr. de la Guardia is engaged in the application of AAS to food analysis. Spanish science at the present time is experiencing a general opening towards the international community. There has been a great flowering of Spanish scien- tific effort in recent years. During the time of the late General Franco there was a tendency for Spanish science to be inward looking with few connections abroad and little financial support to study abroad. Now things have changed considerably. At first the opening to the international community was timid but now there are very vigorous programmes, and funding, to favour outside co- operation.The Government Commis- sion, CAICYT, has very much favoured interchange and offered some of the first opportunities to buy sophisticated ana- The results of this policy can be seen to good effect at the University of Oviedo. Professor Sanz-Medel obtained his doc- torate at the University of Zaragoza, following which he obtained a Fulbright Grant to work with the distinguished Scottish atomic spectroscopist Professor T. S. West at Imperial College on the analytical application of atomic fluor- escence spectrometry. When he joined the University of Oviedo some six years ago the analytical chemistry in the depart- ment consisted principally of burettes and balances. Now there is a great deal of sophisticated spectroscopic equipment.We were able to see several atomic absorption instruments and an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer as well as a good spread of molecular spectroscopic equipment, particularly spectrofluorimet- ers. Current research includes sample presentation for ICP-AES, graphite fur- nace AAS for biological and magnetic materials analysis, the use of flow injec- tion for sample presentation and pre- concentration prior to AAS or ICP-AES and coupled HPLC - atomic spec- trometry. One of the ways in which this opening has been encouraged is by the success of grant applications being linked to the numbers of papers published in inter- national learned journals. Fortunately this is a policy with which JAAS approves. We look forward to receiving a steady supply of papers in this respect. We congratulate Professor Sanz-Medel and other atomic spectroscopists on their rapid progress in recent years. Our impression of the course and the research that we saw was of very lively activity. Few groups of atomic spectroscopists can lay claim to have made such rapid pro- gress as the atomic spectroscopists of Spain. Istop Press! ! At the time of going to press, news had just reached the Editor’s desk that Pro- fessor B. V. L’vov would not now be able to attend SAC 86/3rd BNASS in Bristol in July. However, the latest information is that he will be visiting the UK in October 1986, and will therefore present his SAC Plenary Lecture at a joint meeting of the Atomic Spectroscopy Group and the Scottish Region of the Analytical Division of the RSC to be held 28th-29th October, 1986 at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. For further details see the Conferences and Meetings section, page qcc