http://www.theanalyticalscientist.comFeature ^2323
strict control on food safety for both
exportation and the internal market.
To meet the country’s growing
need for analytical chemistry
expertise, I would like to see an
ongoing analyst training program
to help scientists adapt to more
efficient and environmentally friendly
technologies.
In contrast to the USA or Europe,
research funding in Brazil (and Latin
America as a whole) comes almost
entirely from the government, with
little money coming from industry. As
a consequence, the public universities
are better equipped with modern instrumentation for teaching
analytical chemistry in general, and separation sciences in
particular. I’d like to see more investment from private
companies in research and educational projects in separation
sciences. Although the industry–academia interaction is
maturing in Latin America, the rate of progress is currently
too slow to allow full benefit on both sides. My university, São
Paulo State University, awards special funding for industry–
academia research. It is a relatively new program, but the
results have been positive so far.Looking aheadAnalytical chemistry in general, and separation science in
particular, are key tools to improve quality of life everywhere.
The growth of analytical chemistry in Brazil can be seen
in the ever-increasing volume of scientific presentations
and publications coming from the country. According
to a recent publication by the Brazilian Chemical Society
(1) the proportion of research originating from Brazil
across 12 analytical science journals is rising year-on-
year – demonstrating the growing visibility of Brazilian
scientists in the global community. Brazilian scientists were
particularly active in chemometrics, microextractions, and
green chemistry.
The Brazilian National Symposium on Analytical
Chemistry (ENQA) in September 2018 was the largest
yet, with more than 1,200 participants. COLACRO
(Latin American Symposium on Chromatography and
Related Techniques) and SIMCRO (Brazilian Symposium
on Chromatography and related techniques) also seeing
increasing attendance. The next COLACRO will be in July
2019 (www.colacro2019.com); more than 1,000 participants
are expected.
In many countries, the analytical
sciences are not considered an
independent discipline but rather a
toolbox to be used by other disciplines- but in Brazil we have a clear and
growing space for fundamental
research in this area. As the nation
demands more efficient and selective
drugs, higher quality drinking
water, improved air quality, safer
food, and solutions to many other
challenges that affect our daily lives,
we can look forward to the increasing
involvement of analytical chemistry –
and separation sciences.
Fernando Mauro Lanças is a Professor at São Paulo State
University, Brazil.Reference- CC Nascentes et al., “Current status, trends and challenges on analytical
chemistry in Brazil ”, Quim Nova, 40, 643-649 (2017) http://dx.doi.
org/10.21577/0100-4042.20170080
In contrast to the USA
or Europe, research
funding in Brazil
comes almost
entirely from the
government