| silverks |
2010-05-29 12:12 |
Roses and Raspberries
In our disciplineOif you watch continuously and carefully, as an attentive Editor is wont to do some positive research trends can be discerned, as well as some not so positive or even negative ones. I’d like to comment on a few, using the labels, respectively, “Roses” and “Raspberries”.
ROSES: There are a number of fabulous directions emerging in ytical chemistry. A notable one is the behavior (or detection) of “Single XXX”, where XXX is a molecule, cell, or particle. W. E. Moerner in a way kicked off this topic with his
classic spectroscopic work on detection of single molecules, first by absorbance and then more successfully by fluorescence measurements. He summarized the early days of these experiments in an A-Page article some years ago (. Chem.
1989, 61, 1217A1223A) and has most recently published a Perspective (. Chem. 2010, 82, 21922203) on imaging of single biomolecules in living (also single) cells. That is life in action! The detection of various aspects of single molecules
has been aided by a great variety of optical experiments contributed by others. In the case of enzymes, variations in the activity of single enzyme molecules have even been observed. The Single XXX theme is now seeing strong advances by
many other researchersOwhom I will not try to nameOin work on single biological cells. The chemical ysis of single cells (their internal contents and how they change with cell age; their receptors and signaling emissions by which they become
motive or adherent or divide) has to be accompanied by work on keeping them viable and perhaps confined to a particular arena of surface. These topics are surely interrelated, and it is inspiring to see how a range of different experimental
approaches is supplying important insights into the connections and basics of cell behavior. The tools range from chromatography to voltammetry to fluorescence emission spectroscopy to confocal microscopy, to name just a few. Single nanoparticles are also a trenchant area of work. Single nanoparticles can be detected by MS and, in cases allowing amplification such as electrocatalysis, voltammetry. ytical Chemistry is highly pleased to see submissions in
the Single XXX area.
RASPBERRIES: There is a trend in electroysis to explore composite modified electrodesOthat is, electrodes coated with a mixture of materialsOgenerally aiming at a more sensitive electroysis. These electrode coatings are usually quite rough, and questions abound as to whether the “Hurrahs!” given to increased currents and increased ytical sensitivity are simply reflections of an increased microscopic surface area and not electrocatalytic activity as is often claimed. The coatings very often also contain some trendy materials, such as graphene (the current rage), carbon nanotubes, or chitosan, that give the modified electrode “special” (and most often unproven) properties. I consider many of these works examples of ytical chemistry empiriciOthose that improve results but without scientific understanding. ytical Chemistry has to strike a balance
between allowing some empirici in really new discoveries and demanding understanding in later work. Eventually, as in any topic, the scales begin to tilt, and of empirici, “enough is enough”. The scales are tilting, and the Editor hopes that
authors notice.
There are always Roses and Raspberries in a vibrant field like ytical chemistry that attracts many participants. These are just a few of many. |
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