ACD
composition and new members
ACD is currently
composed of 10 Titular Members (including 4 officers), 6 Associated
Members, and 8 National Representatives (10 are possible), and one
provisional member. The Subcommittee on Solubility and Equilibrium
Data (SSED) and the Interdivisional Working Party for Harmonization
of Quality Assurance (WPQA) continue to be an integral part of the
Division. On becoming the IUPAC Vice President, Prof. K. Matsumoto
has been replaced by Prof. H. Watarai as Japanese representative.
2006-2007 new members of the SSDE are Prof. E. Königsberger
and Prof. J.W. Lorimer. New members of the WPQA for the same period
are Dr. M. Belli, Dr. I. Kuselman and Dr. P. De Zorzi, who is also
taking over the chairmanship of the WPQA in 2007.
The ACD Committee
wish to thank all its members who have retired from the committee
activities for their contribution and is looking forward to keep
the contacts at least through its Experts list.
>
see current membership
ACD
projects
There are currently
34 active projects under the ACD umbrella, including 2 projects
run by the WPQA, 12 projects run by the SSDE and one project of
the Division VI in which the ACD is directly involved. Complete
project list and detailed information can be obtained from:
http://www.iupac.org/divisions/V/cp5.html
Report
from the IUPAC - APAT Workshop
The international
workshop on Combining
and Reporting Analytical Results - The Role of (metrological)
Traceability and (measurement) Uncertainty for Comparing Analytical
Results, has been initiated by the WPQA in 2005 and was organized
by IUPAC and the Italian Environmental Protection Agency (APAT),
which also hosted the event.
Workshop was
sponsored by the Centre for Materials Development, Italy, the international
Atomic energy Agency (IAEA), the Consultative Committee for Amount
of Substance - Metrology in Chemistry (CCQM), the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the Co-operation on International
Traceability in Analytical Chemistry (CITAC), the ISO Committee
on Reference Materials (ISO REMCO) and UNIDO. One can understand
this as a reflection of a very good co-operation of the WPGA and
ACD with listed organizations.
The need for
such a workshop arose from the fact that there is now a formal requirement
for laboratories to introduce quality assurance measures to ensure
and to demonstrate that they are capable of providing data of the
required quality. Such measures include among others: the use of
validated methods of analysis; the use of internal quality control
procedures; participation in proficiency testing schemes; accreditation
based on relevant standards (e.g. the ISO 17025 standard), and establishing
metrological traceability of their measurements results, which have
to be reported with their associated uncertainties. In many measurement
areas (chemical and biological analysis) some of the above listed
requirements are still not always fulfilled. The ways, to achieve
these outcomes are still under discussion. For example:
- The degree to which the results obtained by different analytical
methods or in different laboratories are expected to agree.
- Metrological traceability and accepted stated references (defined
measurement standard or SI units).
- Approaches to quantification, reporting and use of information
on uncertainty associated with single or combined measurement results.
- Methods used in laboratory performance assessment (e.g. proficiency
tests).
In this sense
the aim of the workshop was to review and compare current practices
from various measurement areas and fields in dealing with the above
listed topics. It should provide a ground for better understanding,
exchange of views and open eventual pathways for improvements and
harmonization.
The workshop
was attended by 120 participants from 35 countries. Five workshop
sessions were organized, covering the metrological issues in the
international context, traceability as a challenge for the analysts,
the role of uncertainty in combining data, the role of reference
materials and interlaboratory studies (proficiency test) in improving
the quality of measurement results. Contributions were presented
as lectures or posters. They are all available for review at the
following web address: http://www.apat.gov.it/site/it-IT/Rubriche/Eventi/2006/Marzo/workshopIupac.html
Most of the presentations will also be published as full papers
in the special series proceedings book by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The book is in the process of editing and its publication is expected
within the next three months.
New
ACD projects
During the
last project selection round (30 April) the following projects were
selected for funding by our Division:
- Critical
report regarding the determination of selenomethionine in selenized
yeast supplements, coordinated by Zoltan Mester
- Trace
elements analysis: role of grain size distribution in solid reference
materials, coordinated by Maria Belli
- The Adjustment,
Estimation and Uses of Equilibrium Reaction Constants in Aqueous
Solution, coordinated by Igor V. Sukhno
We wish the
task groups good luck to bring the projects to a successful end.
Provisional
Recommendations
IUPAC Guidelines
for Potentiometric Measurements in Suspensions - Practical pH Measurements
in Soil Suspension, resulting from the ACD
project 2004-016-2-500, were posted on the IUPAC web page for
public review. Readers are invited to submit their comments by 30
September 2006.
ACD
links with other International Organizations and Groups
In the 2006-2007
biennium the Members of the ACD formally represent IUPAC in the
following organizations: the Inter Agency Meeting (IAM), the International
Committee on Weights and Measures/Consultative Committee for Amount
of Substance - Metrology in Chemistry (CIPM/CCQM), the International
Committee on Weight and Measures/Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology
(CIPM/JCGM), the International Organization for Standardization
- Committee on Reference Materials (ISO REMCO). There are however
numerous other organizations and groups with which the ACD members
cooperate. In the forthcoming issues of Teamwork we intend
to provide a short description of the activites of these organizations
in liaison (one per issue) and to provide the necessary links for
interested readers. This time we start with the ISO Committee on
Reference Materials.
> See an Introduction to REMCO (37
pages - pdf file -2.7MKB)
Next
call for the project proposal selection for competitive funding
The next Selection
Date for projects for competitive funding is October 31, 2006,
and all review must be completed by October 1, 2006 to be eligible.