Pittcon 2009 GC Systems and Accessories Review

The Pittsburgh Conference retains its place as the preeminent annual analytical sciences meeting in the U.S. This year's conference witnessed the withdrawal of a number of companies from the exhibition. Most notable for gas chromatographers was Varian Instruments' choice to present posters and papers on their latest developments at the conference while shifting sales, marketing, and application information to an online exhibit at http://www.thevarianexperience.com/. Reflecting this trend, the number of registered exhibitors was down from 2008's level, although the total number of registrants was only slightly less than last year's New Orleans venue. The number of nonexhibitor conferees increased a little, a trend that is in line with past increments seen whenever the conference moves north to Chicago. This year's technical program was as strong as ever, with more than 2400 presentations that included expanded conferee networking sessions and over 100 short courses. At this year's meeting, the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry (ACS-DAC) hosted a celebration of the 25th anniversary of its Subdivision of Chromatography and Separation Chemistry (SCSC) along with six symposia as part of their ongoing coprogramming with the Pittsburgh Conference. Next year, the conference returns to Orlando, Florida from February 28 through March 5, 2010, and in 2011 it will be held in Atlanta, Georgia.