Congratulations for Twenty Years of the European Journal of Mass Spectrometry.

Abstract

Peter Derrick’s flattering invitation to comment on this mass spectrometry landmark was followed immediately by a requirement for brevity, obviously impossible in discussing the impact of EJMS. But seeing the comprehensive draft of my good friend Hans-Friedrich Grutzmacher, I decided to concentrate instead on the importance of European leadership in mass spectrometry to the success of the whole world’s mass spectrometry. EJMS perceived a key responsibility for this at a crucial time, with their unique contribution deserving of this 20 year celebration. My first national meet was the mass spectrometry section at the 1952 Pittsburgh Analytical Conference with ~40 massspectrometry people, mainly in isotope and hydrocarbon mass spectrometry. Their efforts resulted in the ASTM E-14 Committee whose 1953 meeting is counted as the first for the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (I’m just back from the 2015 ASMS meet in St Louis, having missed only one). E-14/ASMS enjoyed a fast rising attendance, even from around the world. As a great example, John Beynon came from ICI and gave a revolutionary “high resolution” talk in 1955. He even visited my lab in Dow Midland, pushing hard to have AEI make Dow a double-focusing instrument along with his, lowering the price (my refusal has been followed by other stupid decisions). But Al Nier and I were still invited as the US official representatives to the first Triennial International Mass Spectrometry (IMS) Meeting in London, 1958. There I was totally surprised at the fascinating science that was new to me, and with the number of new friends. Subsequently I visited the labs of many who were doing leading research. I well remember the Berlin 1967 IMS with Allan Maccoll proposing Organic Mass Spectrometry; could my field have grown that much? But so many good friends there were enthusiastic (even grad student Helmut Schwarz) that OMS started in 1968. Its success was immediate with wonderful world publicity for European mass spectrometry, also helping recognition for ASMS and from JACS and Anal. Chem. A 1976 sabbatical with Morrison and Derrick gave me further on-site exposure to exciting research and hospitality across Australia, promising not to tell the CIA about isotope separation with Jim and Peter’s huge new four-sector instrument. IMS meetings continued to be great (I attended all until a few years ago), but before the 1986 meet, Chair John Beynon complained to me that still only ~40 attended from the US. So from NSF we badgered funds for 30 travel awards with paper acceptance required, so almost all of the 70 applicants plus ~70 others attended. Provincial mass-spectrometry Americans found that they could enjoy international competition, more publicity needed! After that the meeting was truly international, e.g., with Nico Nibbering as Chair, igloos had IMS posters. By then, however, greater change was everywhere in mass spectrometry, even with exciting new science not in “interpretation of mass spectra” (how could that be?). Wise leadership forecast that a broad, innovative new mass spectrometry journal was critical, and in 1995 appeared the European Journal of Mass Spectrometry! The rest may be history to most of you faithful readers, but I reserve my extra hoorah! until reading this special EJMS issue. F. McLafferty, Eur. J. Mass Spectrom. 21, xi (2015)