
Contents
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Instrumental Objectivity: Analytical Chemistry and Beyond Instrumental Objectivity: Analytical Chemistry and Beyond
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Instrumental Methods Instrumental Methods
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Two Examples Reaching beyond Analytical Chemistry Two Examples Reaching beyond Analytical Chemistry
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Instrumental Objectivity Instrumental Objectivity
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Objectivity and Accuracy Objectivity and Accuracy
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Objective Ideal Objective Ideal
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Human Judgment and Money Human Judgment and Money
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The Feel of Our World The Feel of Our World
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Analyzing Objectivity Analyzing Objectivity
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Kinds of Objectivity Kinds of Objectivity
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Concept with a History Concept with a History
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Concept and Practice Concept and Practice
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Not a Condemnation of Instrumental Objectivity Not a Condemnation of Instrumental Objectivity
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Analytical Chemistry and the “Big” Scientific Instrumentation Revolution, 1930-1960 Analytical Chemistry and the “Big” Scientific Instrumentation Revolution, 1930-1960
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Fundamental Nature of Analysis Fundamental Nature of Analysis
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Analytical Chemistry’s Relations Analytical Chemistry’s Relations
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Industry, the Academy, and Government Industry, the Academy, and Government
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Scale and Capital Expenditure Scale and Capital Expenditure
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Education Education
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“Modern Objectivity in Analysis” “Modern Objectivity in Analysis”
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Minuscule Samples Minuscule Samples
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Objective and Subjective Objective and Subjective
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Accuracy and Productivity Accuracy and Productivity
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Statistics and Standardization Statistics and Standardization
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Ralph Müller as Witness Ralph Müller as Witness
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“Objectivity” Reserved for Instruments “Objectivity” Reserved for Instruments
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Instrumentation and Automation Instrumentation and Automation
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Objective Instrumentation Is Resisted Objective Instrumentation Is Resisted
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Automatic Analysis Is Cost Efficient Automatic Analysis Is Cost Efficient
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Academic “Science of Instrumentation” Needed Academic “Science of Instrumentation” Needed
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Cost Efficiency and “Wide Sales” Cost Efficiency and “Wide Sales”
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Summary Summary
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The Trajectory of Spectrographic Instrumentation The Trajectory of Spectrographic Instrumentation
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Historical Highlights Historical Highlights
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Size Size
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Time Time
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Training Training
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You and the Push Button You and the Push Button
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Traditional Chemistry versus Spectrochemistry Traditional Chemistry versus Spectrochemistry
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“For the Cost Conscious” “For the Cost Conscious”
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The Front Page The Front Page
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Conclusion Conclusion
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My Claim My Claim
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Notes Notes
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References References
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906 Analytical Instrumentation and Instrumental Objectivity
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Published:December 2000
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Abstract
The bulk of this chapter is concerned with analytical chemistry during and for the first decade after World War II. At this time analytical chemistry underwent a radical change, which can most easily be characterized as a shift from wet chemistry to instrumental methods (Baird, 1993). Although this transformation of analytical chemistry may interest readers of this volume for a variety of reasons, I focus here on a shift in the concept and practice of a kind of objectivity. Objectivity is one of those concepts with generally positive connotations, but whose exact characterization proves elusive. A dictionary tells us that, as an adjective, objective applies to that which has “actual existence or reality.” Objective observation is “based on observable phenomena” and “uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices” (American Heritage Dictionary, 1993, p. 940). Objectivity, it would seem, either sits next to truth or defines the right route to truth. What emerges here, however, is a more complicated concept—a concept with a history that serves various agendas through suitable shades of meaning and marriages of convenience with other concepts. The development of instrumental methods in analytical chemistry made possible fast, precise, and accurate analyses of a wide variety of important substances. Instrumental methods changed forever the metals industries, medical diagnosis, oil analysis, and forensic analytical chemistry, to mention a few highlights. In a very real sense, these developments in analytical chemistry made contemporary science and technology possible by opening up vast new continents of information about the world, which could be gained relatively easily and applied toward technological and/or scientific ends. I argue here that these developments in analytical chemistry established a paradigm for one kind of concept of objectivity. Ralph Müller, who will play a central role in this discussion, wrote in the January 1947 issue of the Analytical Edition of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry (the journal that subsequently became Analytical Chemistry): . . .The true instrumental method of analysis requires no reduction of data to normal pressure and temperature, no corrections or computations, no reference to correction factors nor interpolation on nomographic charts. . . .
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