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VOL. 69 (3), LA QUÍMICA ANALÍTICA

SUMMARY

Concept and Scope of Analytical Chemistry. Evolution, trends and futures chal-
lenges.

This work is meant to serve as a reflection on the current status of Analytical
Chemistry, both in Spain and worldwide. Several aspects of the current interest in defin-
ing the scope of activities of Analytical Chemistry are commented. The ways in which
Analytical Chemistry must respond to the needs of modern society are analyzed. From
this point of view, its evolution and current trends are analyzed, taking as a reference
the large investment made in analytical instrumentation by both private and public labo-
ratories. Particular emphasis is laid in studying the increase in the number of publica-
tions with analytical content in internationally reputed journals, thanks to the efforts of
scientists in universities and research centers. These factors have facilitated the trans-
mission of knowledge in Spanish Universities, potentiating the training of future phar-
maceutical professionals in this field.

Key words: Concept and scope of Analytical Chemistry.— Evolution of Analytical
Chemistry.— Trends in analytical instrumentation.— Analytical Chemistry publica-
tions.

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

The second half of the 20th Century has witnessed an impressive
evolution of Analytical Chemistry, with limits of detection moving from
ìg to pg while analytical times simultaneously plummeted from several
days to fractions of a second for many determinations. While it has been
held in the past that Analytical Chemistry is a mere tool for other sci-
ences, nowadays most authors accept that Analytical Chemistry has its
own principles, theories, techniques, calculation methods and applica-
tions, and therefore it must be considered as a science in itself. Moreover,
its inclusion as an academic subject in chemical and pharmaceutical cur-
ricula is essential in that it provides the students with vital information
and laboratory skills that they would not otherwise acquire.

New ideas introduced in the last decade have led to a more ambi-
tious concept of Analytical Chemistry as the science of chemical meas-
urements and their inherent uncertainty. This has led to the notion that
Analytical Chemistry is a metrological science, which develops, opti-

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