JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY JUNE 1994 VOL. 9 37N Conference Report ~~ Pittsburg Conference McCormick Place Chicago IL USA February 27 to March 4 1994 PittCon ’94 celebrated its 45th anniver- sary in Chicago IL with the billing ‘From a Handful of Scientists to the Greatest Science Show Ever’. PittCon’s juggernaut of exhibitors symposia speakers and conferees; (a total of over 30 000 people their booths equipment and at least their luggage) rolled into Chicago during the last week of February despite calf-deep snow uncomfortably howling winds off the Great Lakes and a closed O’Hare airport on the Friday before the show started. This was all too reminiscent of last year’s PittCon in Atlanta GA where so many people were stranded in the blizzard after the show. What a relief that PittCon ’95 will be held in the deep South of New Orleans! However excellent restaurants and good Blues Bars make the prospect of returning to Chicago in 1996 (instead of Atlanta which will be busy hosting the Olympics) a happier one.And of course Chicago was happy to host PittCon. Me1 Patla Interim President of the Chicago Board of Tourism thanked PittCon and its attendees for the many benefits their presence brought to Chicago’s con- vention hospitality and service indus- tries. When those benefits to the city total $51m in one week; that’s a big thank you! Moreover PittCon ploughs back all of its profits from the show to the host city by sponsoring ‘Science Week‘ events in the city. This year 1,800 high school students accompanied by their teachers were invited to tour PittCon attend special lectures and the special exhibit on Science Vans (one of which was donated to the city this year by PittCon). The point of all this is at the core of the PittCon Committee’s goal; to encourage young people to take an interest in science if not foster their ideals for a career in science and sow the seeds of the future.Only a handful of cities can now shoe- horn PittCon into their environment. Other than the usual rotation (CHATNO as it is known) of Chicago Atlanta and New Orleans there is Las Vegas but I suspect that it is too far ‘West’ for what has historically always been an ‘East Coast Show’ and Las Vegas is always booked decades in advance. Geographical note in the US there is of course the North and South and the forever pxesent Mason-Dixon Line but there is also another dimension the East and the West which is held in a similar vein to North and South.Like the Mason-Dixon line it does not exist in reality but is a divider of people nonthe- less. Happy news for PittConees though the rotation will be broken in 1999 by the inclusion of Orlando FL which has three big advantages over the CHATNO locations it is located in the ‘Sunshine State’ is the home of Mickey Mouse and other friends and will have completed an over 1 million ft2 facility suitable for housing PittCon in 1998. In 1994 though PittCon once again was able to boast over 1000 exhibitors filling up over 5 miles of exhibits and over 1800 technical presentations. The entirely volunteer committee is staunchly proud of PittCon’s growth evolution and its roots in the industrial steel town of Pittsburg Pennsylvania. From its inception in 1950 as the sober-sounding Pittsburg Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy which was held in one small room of the William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburg PittCon has matured into ‘the premier conference and exposition for laboratory equipment and chemical analyses’.Despite the global recession PittCon continues to grow attracting more exhibitors from a wider scientific base than ever before. This year both the technical pro- gramme and the exhibition had an air of reflection on good times past when chem- ists were pioneers of new analytical tech- niques which were invented seemingly for the hell of it without thought to applications. The analytical instrumen- tation industry is now so applications driven that it is difficult to imagine what it must have been like to be on the threshold of a new method of jiggling atoms and molecules into repeatable pat- terns and not have a firm idea of what possible benefits it could have to the scientific community.That era was clearly expressed by David Nelson whose company Nelson Analytical became Perkin-Elmer Nelson in 1988 during Tuesday’s Plenary ses- sion entitled ‘A History of the Pittsburg Conference’. This session also included lectures by Foil A. Miller University of Pittsburg on how a venue such as PittCon influences the development of new technology and also James Waters founder of Waters Associates who pre- sented another although similar view- point from an industrial manufacturer.Nelson recalled that the 1950s were the formative years when ‘lots of com- panies would bring their products (to PittCon) and hope that someone would come along and find an application for them’. Companies were not applications driven at that time and therefore not business and commercially oriented. The 1960s heralded the end of the ‘golden age of grants and research for research‘s sake’ but saw the coming of the age of chromatography. By the 1970s the world was in recession grants were a fleeting memory and analytical chemistry was more apt to be pigeon-holed into this or that application. The mini-computer became truly accessible and the environ- mental and pharmaceutical markets began to take off.The 1980s were the growth years attendance at PittCon38N JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY JUNE 1994 VOL. 9 soared with the growth of the analytical instrument manufacturers who had by then learnt the commercial lessons of focused targeted applications market- ing. PittCon became less regional and more an East coast show eventually leading to the circuitous route of CHATNO. Nelson described what is happening in the analytical instrument industry now. There is still a ‘wait and see’ atti- tude evident by the constant acquisition of smaller growth companies by the industry leaders in an effort to cover all their bases and be prepared for an upswing in market indicators for any application area. To complement this historical view of PittCon there was a special exhibit throughout the week of early instrumen- tation and PittCon memorabilia.Over 90 instruments were on display including a typical laboratory set-up from the 1950s. Some of the instruments dated back to the just-post World War I1 era a time when many of the analytical methods that we use today gained their impetus. However the Antiquities Museum was carefully put together and many of the instruments on display were those from companies who were pioneers of that particular analytical technique or were the mass producers and thus com- mercial leaders in that application. These simple but sometimes huge instruments including a 21 ft spectrograph from Jarrell Ash encased in a beautiful mahogany raised-panel cabinet caused those who had spent so much time working with these instruments to revel in nostalgia and the new kids on the block to gasp in horror at the big ugly boxes and the lack of automation! So what new offerings in atomic spec- troscopy have the major manufacturers come up with this year? The cost- conscious consumer was high on the manufacturer’s list.Enhancements and add-ons to already successful instrument leaders were more evident than in pre- Jarrell Ash 21ft Wadsworth Stigmatic Grating Spectrograph. Built in 1943 there were about 60 instruments in use worldwide. It was the largest and most expensive spectrograph avail- able and became the preferred instrument for locating and measuring uranium and other important minerals. It was also used for the determination of trace alloying elements in high- temperature super alloys for aircraft engines.vious years Manufacturers are very aware that their customers do not cur- rently have the money available to spend on an entirely new replacement for what already sits in the laboratory and that instruments with add-ons and upgrades which improve the end result of the instrument’s performance are very much in demand. One of the most simply impressive offerings was from ATI whose range of SOLAAR AA instrunients is now avail- able with graphite furnace television (GFTV). Users can now watch the sample injection process the drying and the ashing by pressing a button on the SOLAAR toolbar. The video window on the PC monitor opens and presents live video of the graphite tube. The software package offers additional features such as video capture for later playback arid editing.Making its entry into the inorganics market Hewlett-Packard created much interest with the first benchtop ICP-MS. Certainly not portable but definitely benchtop the HP 4500 is a full function scaled-down instrument which offers the ruggedness and ease-of-use required to bring ICP-MS into the routine labora- tory environment. Although not avail- able in Europe until next year the HP 4500 combines a revolutionary interface which is claimed to virtually eliminate many polyatomic interferences ion- optics technology and a hyperbolic quadropole for maximum detection power. The axial plasma viewing position €or ICP torches certainly made an impact at PittCon. Most of the leading manufac- turers have turned the ICP torches on their sides and thus are able to claim much better detection limits for their ICP instruments.Thermo-Jarrell Ash introduced its IRISIAP spectrometer which combines a CID detector and axial-viewing technology. The IRIS/AP utilizes a CID in an eclielle optical design which gives the instrument the capability of continuous and simultaneous wave- length coverage from 175 to 900nm. Background correction measurements are simultaneous resulting in more accu- rate measurements than before. The axial-view provides detection limits at least one order of magnitude below those previously reported for any conventional ICP emission instrument. Thermo-Jarrell Ash has extended its axial-viewing technology to the low- priced end of the ICP marketplace with a new sequential ICF’ instrument with detection limits 10-20 times lower than those achieved on an instrument with a conventional design.The Tracescan will meet most furnace application needs without graphite cuvettes hollow cath- ode lamps and chemical modifiers. In comparison with an electrothermal AA spectrometer the TraceScan provides freedom from chemical interferences multi-element analysis increased pro- ductivity and reduced cost per sample analysis. Also from Thermo-Jarrell Ash is its high capacity electrothermal AA spec- trometer designed as ‘the workhorse for routine ETAA applications’. It is com- pact and comparatively low-priced but incorporates an automated 40 position discrete autosampler capable of pl volume depositions a 0.33 m Ebert monochromator with high resolution grating a 190-600 nm spectral range and an integral water recirculating system.The Perkin-Elmer Optima 3000 XL ICP-OES also has an axial viewing pos- ition which enables the analysis of 22 of the 23 elements in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Contract Lab Program. This instrument is based on the successful Optima 3000 and it com- prises an Cchelle-based polychromator with a segmented-array charge-coupled detector and temperature-controlled plasma pneumatics. It also includes more than 5000 emission lines providing the flexibility to select alternate interference- free lines for superior results. Perkin-Elmer also launched a flow injection mercury system (FIMS) which is a fully-automated and easy-to-use AA spectrometer dedicated to mercury analysis. Exceptional detection limits of (0.01 pg 1-’ and fast analysis times coupled with much lower sample and reagent use make this a cost-effective instrument .The Fisons Group launched 12 new products at PittCon. The Accuris ‘E (environmental) is a standard system offering the 24 key environmental elements with the option to expand to a total range of 45 elements. Additional elements are available through the use of Multiscan. The Accuris ‘C’ (custom) is a more versatile instrument which is designed to be configured to provide the best possible performance for all ICP applications. Up to 60 elements can be selected with additional prominent lines provided by Multiscan. Maxim also from Fisons is claimed to be the world’s first super-simultaneous ICP spectrometer which is equipped with 195 simultaneous wavelengths has com- plete coverage of the useful ICP spectrum providing all of the wavelengths required for complete ICP analysis of any element in any matrix.Every Maxim analysis provides the highest sensitivity with the lowest resolution (0.0055 nm at 200 nm) using standard analysis times. Use of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) multiplies the analytical signal and for further flexibility if needed Multiscan is incor- porated. The Fisons ‘Super Torch’ is also in an axial viewing position. The Kevex Omicron from Fisons is the world’s only X-ray microfluorescence analyser which combines the elementalJOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY JUNE 1994 VOL. 9 39N sensitivity of XRF with spatial resolution in the range of SEM microanalysis. A colour remote monitor provides real- time imaging of samples during analysis. Of historical note for this reflective PittCon Fisons celebrated Applied Research Laboratories’ (ARL) 60th anni- versary.ARL was one of the founding companies of PittCon and the first company to introduce a commercial ICP-AES in 1974. At the Royal Society of Chemistry booth which was well-positioned in the main hall many attendees stopped by to browse through the latest book titles pick up copies of the various journals and magazines and be given demon- strations of the Society’s databases. The staff reported that generally they seemed to be busier than usual; an excellent sign of the growing recognition of and interest in the RSC’s publications. However it was not until Tuesday evening during the RSC reception that this interest was confirmed.Despite quite a few alternative receptions that evening the one hosted by the RSC was undoubt- edly the best attended to date with more than 350 guests many of them well recognized key symposia lecturers PittCon committee members authors and referees. That the Society should do so well in the USA and at a premiere conference and exhibition is a true feather in its cap. PittCon’s technical programme did have a sense of maturity this year. The Committee had taken great pains to exclude the sales pitches from most of the symposia; not an easy task. It stands to reason that the most skilled presenters and spokespeople from the manufactur- ing industry find it difficult to differen- tiate between a ‘sales pitch’ and an interesting and informative talk on the applications or developments of their products.At the other end of the spec- trum there are always the most knowl- edgeable of speakers who find it difficult to convey what they know with any enthusiasm or presentation skills. However this year’s programme struck a pleasing balance being informative entertaining and covering a broad base of interest. Overall the only irritating obscurity was that some of the lectures were not assigned to obvious session titles hence it was easy to miss talks of interest. The broad base of interest was helped greatly by this year’s Plenary sessions which were sorely missed last year. These sessions are always sandwiched (forgive the pun) between morning and afternoon lectures at lunchtime and are always well attended.The first session concerned the Pittsburg Conference-45 years and beyond and has already been described. The second was given by James Trefil author and physicist George Mason University entitled ‘Scientific Literacy What It Is Why We Don’t Have It and How Can We Get It’. During Trefil’s lecture the audience appeared to let out a collective sigh of relief that they were not alone in trying to retain all the information that is thrown at them or gathered during a normal working day. According to Trefil one cannot retain information of any kind unless the basic matrix for that information has already been installed in one’s brain. Once the matrix is installed one should find it easier to slot information into its relevant pigeon-hole or series of linked pigeon- holes across various disciplines of science rather than keeping to the traditional boundaries of chemistry biology physics and their numerous sub-disciplines.Trefil suggested a new more open- minded approach to science and as he said ‘What better way to start than to have a physicist address an audience of chemists? Continuing the program’s nostalgic theme was the symposium ‘The Direct Reading Polychromator-45 years later’ arranged by Gary Horlick University of Alberta. In his talk entitled ‘The Evolution of Direct Reading Poly- chromator Design’ Horlick described how the classic direct reading poly- chromator was the result of combining a grating spectrometer with electronic light sensors (PMTs) and electronic readout sub-systems.The original designs developed in the mid- to late-1940s were marketed by ARL and Baird. The dramatic evolution of the direct reader design owes much to the improvement in electronic data acqui- sition and computing technologies. Whereas the basic optical design has evolved at a much slower pace recently there has been a flurry of activity spurred on primarily by the development of elec- tronic image sensors (PDAs CCDs CIDs) coupled with Cchelle spec- trometers. Forty-five years later Horlick brought to our attention a keynote paper presented at the first PittCon ‘Progress in Spectrographic Instrumentation’ by Professor George R. Harrison of MIT which dealt specifically with the benefits of using an Cchelle grating spectrometer.Back to the present again the choice of electronic image sensors is still very much open to discussion as the following speakers described the benefits of the various detectors coupled with Cchelle spectrometers currently available from the major manufacturers. Bob Fry of Fisons Instruments described the development of the Maxim 195 channel PMT-Cchelle spectrometer in his talk ‘The PMT-Cchelle Direct Reader All The Lines You Need’. The 195 exit slits are cut by a robotically controlled laser and breakthroughs in fibre-optic technology allow the coupling of exit slits >190nm to remote PMT detectors. Benefits of real exit slits for multichannel analysis include excellent channel isolation stray light reduction and enhanced wavelength stability. In Jean-Michel Mermet’s (Universite Claude Bernard) lecture ‘A Segmented- Array CCD Echelle Grating Direct Reader The Solid State Solution’ he described the benefits of the SCD Cchelle- based system developed by Perkin- Elmer.Use of the multichannel detector rather than the PMT allows the ICP user to have simultaneous multi- element multi-wavelength acquisition of the entire line profile. Furthermore the coupling of an SCD sensor with a custom designed Cchelle system provides simul- taneous coverage of four or five of the ‘best’ ICP lines for all the elements. Gary Hieftje Indiana University touted the benefits of the CID-Cchelle spectrometer such as the one developed by Thermo-Jarre!l Ash in his talk ‘The Array Detector/Echelle Direct Reader The Whole Spectrum’. With full spectral coverage nearly at hand Hieftje illus- trated how the modern array detector designs could possibly allow such spec- trometers to be used not only in the conventional passive mode but in an active computer-controlled fashion.Looking to the future Hieftje suggested that spatially resolved diagnostic features of the plasma could be gathered routinely and used by the instrument itself to control the plasma the wavelengths that are measured and the sample introduc- tion method to achieve results that required less calibration and less oper- ator attention. Another symposium devoted to the ‘battle of the array detectors’ entitled ‘Array Detectors and Spectrometer Improvements for ICP-AES’ covered much of the same ground with some interesting additions made by Gary Fulton University of Alberta in his talk ‘Utilization of an Acousto-Optic Tuneable Filter to Combat Dynamic Range Limitation in UV-VIS Fourier Transform Spectroscopy’ and Brian Peltz Northern Illinois University on ‘Development of an Acoustic-Optic Spectral Manipulator for Background Correction’.The pioneering slant of PittCon continued with Monday’s symposium entitled ‘Pioneers of Analytical Chem- istry’ arranged by IS. J. McKaveney of Hewlett-Packard. Five stories of triumph and trouble were told ‘Reflecting on the Past Creating for the Future’ by H. V. Malmstadt University of Nations Kailua-Kona HI ‘Tales of a Reluctant Instrument Maker’ by J. Lovelock ‘The First Fifty Years of Commercial Infrared and Beyond’ by P. Wilks of General Analysis Corp. ‘Laser-Based Chemical Analysis’ by R.N. Zare Stamford University and lastly ‘Highways and Byways in Mass Spectrometry’ by K. Biemann of MZT. Of particular inter-40N JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY JUNE 1994 VOL. 9 est was Malmstadt’s story which outlined his philosophy that there is a powerful incentive to get things done when it is a matter of life and death. A good example of this is of course the motivational aspects of World War I1 and also research in the medical field. According to Malmstadt the catalyst is often a simple question or statement ‘Why wouldn’t this work? ‘There must be a better way!’ ‘This takes too much time!’ Comments such as these lead Malmstadt on a search for answers and subsequently resulted in improved analytical methods and instrumentation.Malmstadt is also concerned with the present and how important it is to understand what hap- pens behind the technology of today’s push-button instruments that seem to do everything for us. It is clear from this way of thinking why Malmstadt is such a wonderful teacher and why former pupils now run leading research groups of their own. Another pioneer acknowledged as the father of analytical chemistry Izaak Maurits Kolthoff was honoured in a Memorial Symposium. Kolthoff died last year at the age of 99 but will always be remembered for the profound and con- tinuing influence he had on his students postdoctoral research associates and col- leagues with whom he worked during his years at the University of Minnesota. His genius inspired new fields of research and technology. Back to the future and a symposium entitled ‘Emerging Scientists’ was arranged by K. J. McKaveney of Hewlett-Packard. Of particular interest were the comments of Ken Marcus of Clemson University who described some enlightening work on ‘Radio Frequency Powered Glow Discharges for Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy; Operating Characteristics Figures of Merit and Future Prospects’ and the need for the development of direct solids analysis methods yielding far greater powers of detection and versatility. To that end he discussed the operating characteristics and figures of merit for the r.f. glow discharge analysis of metals glasses and thin film samples by atomic emission and mass spectrometries. Most attendees left PittCon 1994 inspired by the pioneering stories they had heard throughout the week enlight- ened by the new ideas spawned by the research of others and clutching bro- chures on the latest available techniques perhaps for inclusion in next year’s budget? They were also clutching their PittCon souvenir - a green umbrella. Let’s hope that the umbrella was inspired by the spiteful weather of past PittCon’s; I’d be quite happy to use mine in New Orleans next year but only as a parasol! Andrea Bedson Ka ymich Po whatan VA USA