The Rise of Environmental Analytical Chemistry as an Interdisciplinary Activity

Richard J C Brown

doi:10.1100/tsw.2009.78

Abstract

Modern scientific endeavour is increasingly delivered within an interdisciplinary framework. Analytical environmental chemistry is a long-standing example of an interdisciplinary approach to scientific research where value is added by the close cooperation of different disciplines. This editorial piece discusses the rise of environmental analytical chemistry as an interdisciplinary activity and outlines the scope of the Analytical Chemistry and the Environmental Chemistry domains of TheScientificWorldJOURNAL (TSWJ), and the appropriateness of TSWJ's domain format in covering interdisciplinary research. All contributions of new data, methods, case studies, and instrumentation, or new interpretations and developments of existing data, case studies, methods, and instrumentation, relating to analytical and/or environmental chemistry, to the Analytical and Environmental Chemistry domains, are welcome and will be considered equally.

Highlights

It is clear that environmental chemistry and analytical chemistry are, and always have been, closely related
The total peer-reviewed output in the chemistry area has increased by almost 250% since 1992; one would expect publication numbers in most subject areas to rise along similar lines if they maintained a consistent profile within the scientific community during this period
The number of publications in the “analytical chemistry” and “environmental chemistry” subject areas has shown a similar rise in publication numbers to that seen overall since 1992

Summary

Introduction

It is clear that environmental chemistry (the study of the sources, transport, effects, reactions, and fates of chemical and biochemical species in air, soil, and water environments and, importantly, human effects on these) and analytical chemistry (the study of the chemical composition of mixtures[2]) are, and always have been, closely related. Environmental chemistry relies on analytical chemistry to deliver its aims. Much of analytical chemistry is driven by the requirements of environmental chemistry.

Results

Conclusion