Papers of Walter Slavin

Walter Slavin was an American engineer, designer of scientific instruments, and scientific journal editor. Slavin graduated from the University of Maryland in 1949 with a degree in Physics and Mathematics. He spent the bulk of his professional career at Perkin-Elmer Corporation, an American manufacturer of scientific instruments. At Perkin-Elmer, he was a noted expert on atomic absorption spectroscopy. He is credited with leading the firm into the fields of flame atomic spectroscopy and furnace atomic spectroscopy.

At Perkin-Elmer, Slavin developed the first commercially successful atomic absorption spectrophotometer. He was responsible for setting up an analytical chemistry laboratory, which extended the applications of atomic absorption spectroscopy to environmental, biological, geological, and industrial applications. Slavin also organized Perkin-Elmer’s Applied Research Department. He was a close friend of two leading proponents of atomic absorption spectroscopy, Alan Walsh and Boris L’vov, both of whom he brought into consultancy relationships with Perkin-Elmer. Slavin rose through Perkin-Elmer’s research hierarchy over the course of his career, eventually reaching the rank of Senior Scientist, specializing in atomic absorption spectroscopy.

In addition to his work at Perkin-Elmer, Slavin was an active scientific journal editor. He was the founder and first editor of the Atomic Spectroscopy Journal (originally called the Atomic Absorption Newsletter). Slavin also served as the North American Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Spectrochimica Acta, Part B (originally called Spectrochimica Acta).

Walter Slavin authored numerous scientific articles and papers over the course of his career. He also authored two influential books on atomic absorption spectroscopy: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (1968) and Graphite Furnace AAS: A Source Book (1984). Slavin was also the recipient of several awards, including the Anachem Award (1988), the Waters Symposium Award of the Pittsburgh Conference (1991), and Honorary Membership in the Society of Applied Spectroscopy (1998).



Sources

Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry. “Walter Slavin.” EAC Website - John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Papers of Walter Slavin, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.