Euroanalysis XVI—challenges in modern analytical chemistry

Abstract

In the International Year of Chemistry, Belgrade was the meeting place for almost 600 participants of Euroanalysis XVI, from 57 countries from all over Europe and overseas. As a broad-spectrum conference on analytical chemistry, held biennially with its venue rotating between European countries, Euroanalysis has established itself as a regular forum of the national societies represented in the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS). The 16th European Conference on Analytical Chemistry, held in September 2011, was hosted by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the Serbian Chemical Society (SCS), and fully supported by the SCS and its president Ivanka Popovic. The Congress Centre SAVA in Belgrade, located in one of the modern quarters of New Belgrade but still very close to the old historic and charming city centre, provided an excellent venue for the conference, enabling networking at its best on both the scientific and social level. An attractive scientific program was presented under the motto “Challenges in Modern Analytical Chemistry” and there was much to be learnt about the trends and perspectives in the different areas of the analytical sciences. Ten plenary lectures built the framework of the conference. How far can one go with all the available analytical tools? “Diving Deep into the Chemistry of the Human Brain”, the lecture of Jonas Berquist from Uppsala University (Sweden), was a good example of the use of novel techniques for analysis of complex samples, the isolation and enrichment of the non-soluble portion of the proteome membrane-bound proteins from brain tissue. The techniques applied (CPE, 1D gel electrophoresis, in-gel digestion with RP-nanoLC, ESI and high-resolution MS–MS, or direct digestion with RP-nanoLC, MALDITOF/TOF-MS or high-resolution IEF with ESI-nanoLC– MS–MS) are very promising in the study of tissues from the human central nervous system or animal models of neurological diseases. His presentation was awarded the Robert Kellner Lecture prize, established by the Division of EuCheMS in memory of the efforts and contributions of the late Robert Kellner, from Vienna University of Technology, and traditionally sponsored by Springer, Heidelberg. In his lecture “The Role of Accurate Mass Measurement in Chemical, Analytical and Medical Mass Spectrometry” G. Brenton outlined how high-resolution mass spectrometry