Analytical Chemistry Journals Research Articles

Analytical Science in France

Analytical balance is at the heart of work by the famous French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who relied on advanced instruments of the time that can still be discovered at the Arts et Metiers Museum in Paris. Analytical chemistry has been one of the fields of the Societe Chimique de France (SCF) since its creation in 1857. The SCF was the owner of the journal Analusis , which merged with other national analytical chemistry journals and led to the creation of the European journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. The “Division deChimieAnalytique” (DCA), which took the initiative for this special issue on Analytical Chemistry in France, is part of the SCF and gathers together analytical chemists in France. Dedicated working parties, such as Analysis in the Chemical Industry, French Chemometrics, Electrochemistry, and Environmental Chemistry, inside the SCF are also related to the DCA. Other societies outside the SCF also gather specific scientific communities together, such as the French Association of Separative Sciences (AFSEP), the French Society for Mass Spectrometry (SFSM), the French Society for Electrophoresis and Proteomics (SFEAP), the French Group on Magnetic Resonance (GERM), the French Society of Stable Isotopes (SFIS), and the French Society for Analytical Toxicology (SFTA). Analytical chemistry is the link between the development of instrumentation and solving scientific problems. Any progress in analytical chemistry has a positive and unpredictable impact on other fields of science. This is clear for techniques that allow the observation of new objects (i.e., nano-objects), but it is also true for rapid, simple, and less-expensive techniques that allow the collection of data from a large set of samples (i.e., biological and environmental samples). Progress in instrument sensitivity also allows the observation of individual events (i.e., one single molecule) rather than that of an average of many events and affords new insights into system dynamics. In all of these aspects, data treatment, chemometrics, and informatics have an increasing role. This special issue comprises 33 contributions that cover a wide range of analytical expertise in France, existing both in universities and at research institutes. A large number of papers deal with the development of sampling, separation, and detection techniques in the fields of biology, medicine, and environmental science. Several papers present the development of chemical and biological (nano)sensors based on electrochemical and optical detection. Techniques for the characterization of biomolecules are also presented for proteins and metabolites in human fluids. All of these contributions represent a non-exhaustive snapshot of French competence in analytical chemistry. Analytical chemistry is a key science for improved quality of life and affords greater knowledge in fields strongly related to present and future problems for society, such as those related to human health, new energy sources, food resources, climate change, geological records, forensic science, and cultural heritage. The cross fertilization between disciplines (chemistry, physics, and biology) has led to the development of instruments that are adapted to these specific objectives. The best achievement for a discovery in analytical chemistry is reached when a wide range of applications become possible in many research fields, for example, magnetic resonance or mass spectrometry.We hope that some of the papers published in this issue reach this level of analytical development. Published in the special issue Analytical Science in France with guest editors Christian Rolando and Philippe Garrigues.

Determination of metals in natural waters by spectrophotometry in combination with PLS algorithm

Determination of metals in natural waters by spectrophotometry in combination with PLS algorithm

Амперометрические моноаминоксидазные биосенсоры на основе графитовых электродов и оксида графена как модификатора поверхности для определения некоторых антидепрессантов

Амперометрические моноаминоксидазные биосенсоры на основе графитовых электродов и оксида графена как модификатора поверхности для определения некоторых антидепрессантов

Analytical Determination of Lisinopril Using UV Spectrophotometer and HPLC: An Overview

Present review article determine the analytical methods for the quantitative determinations of lisinopril (ACE Inhibitor) by UV spectrophotometery and High-Performance Liquid chromatography. Pharmaceutical analysis of lisinopril requires effective analytical procedures for QC quality control analysis in Pharmaceuticals dosage formulations and human serum. An extensive survey for determination of LSP compiled from the research articles published in various pharmaceutical and analytical chemistry Journals. This appraisal illustrate that majority of the HPLC methods reviewed are based on the quantitative analysis of drug in Active Pharmaceutical ingredients (API), formulations, biological fluids such as serum and plasma and they are appropriate for therapeutic monitoring of drug, for pharmacokinetic purpose.

Analytical Methods in the Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part III: Publishers’ Ethics and Editors’ Complicity

In 2012, the first paper in the series Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications was published in the American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 3, No. 6, 2012, pp. 443-447. This paper was mainly based on evidence presented in the 2011 in book Historical Overview of Chromatography and Related Techniques in Analysis of Antimalarial Drug Primaquine (editor Ilia Brondz, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., ISSN 978-1-61761-944-1). The first paper in this series di- scussed issues of obvious falsification and plagiarism contained in paper published by Dongre et al., Applications of GC-EI-MS for the Identification and Investigation of Positional Isomer in Primaquine, an Antimalarial Drug. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Vol. 39, No. 1-2, 2005, pp. 111-116. Dongre et al. copied their publication from an original research manuscript submitted for consideration by other authors. This paper was published in the Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2005, pp. 1678-1688. Conclusive arguments against the publication of Dongre et al. were presented in the American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 3, No. 6, 2012, pp. 443-447. Further cases of general plagiarism and incompetence relating to authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers were presented in Part II in Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part II: The Authors’, Reviewers’, Editors’ Responsibility and the Publishers’ Authority in the International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2013, pp. 81-89. The present paper will discuss the following issues: the obvious neglect of the rights of authors by some publishers and editors; how original research manuscripts are exposed to mediocre researchers, and possibly sold, by editors to these “scientists” to boost the image of these particular “scientists”; how the order of authors’ names in published articles are changed to satisfy the commercial interests of companies; and how copyright is breached in an appalling way by well-established publishers. The documents presented here concern research publications in the fields of chromatography, chromatography-mass spectrometry, and mass spectrometry.

Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part IV: Fraud Ordered by the Pharmaceutical Industry

In a series of papers under the common title: “Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications,” cases of undisputable breaches of publication ethics and breaches of acceptable rules in the publication of scientific information have been presented. Clear cases of fraud, falsification by some authors, and unqualified review of papers by reviewers and editors were presented in: Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications, (2012) American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 443-447 DOI:10.4236/ajac.2012.36058. The place of authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher was discussed in: Editorial: Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part II: The Authors’, Reviewers’, Editors’ Responsibility, and the Publishers’ Authority, (2013) International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 81-89 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ijamsc.2013.12010, Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part III: Publishers’ Ethics and Editors’ Com- plicity, (2014) International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 77-102. DOI: 10.4236/ijamsc.2014.23008 and in the book Historical Overview of Chromatography and Related Techniques in Analysis of Antimalarial Drug Primaquine (Editor, Ilia Brondz) Nova Science Publishers, Inc., (2011) ISSN 978-1-61761-944-1. Here, the corrupting influence of the pharmaceutical industry as a customer and employer of pseudoresearchers and corrupt editors and even to corrupt journal publishers for publication of fraudulent information and pseudoscientific data will be discussed by identifying the authors of pseudoscientific publications, the editors who gave the green light for the fraudulent publication, and the pharmaceutical companies involved. Documentation will be given to support the accusations of fabricated fraudulent “scientific” data, and the publication of such data without sufficient revision and sufficient background for publication of papers will be illustrated by discussing the content of papers: “Determination of Quinocide as Impurityin Primaquine Tablets by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis,” Abdalla A. Elbashir et al., (2009) Biomedical Chromatography, Vol. 23, pp. 464-471, published in Wiley Interscience, “Development of a Capillary Electrophoresis Method for the Enantioselective Estimation of Primaquine in Pharmaceutical Formulations,” Abdalla A. Elbashir et al., (2008) Journal of AOAC International, Vol. 91, No. 3, pp. 536-541, “Enantioselective Analysis of Primaquine and Its Impurity Quinocide by Capillary Electrophoresis,” Abdalla A. Elbashir et al., (2009) Biomedical Chromatography, Vol. 23, pp. 295-301, published in Wiley Interscience and other pseudoscientific publications by these teams of pseudoscientists.

Top Down Proteomics

The field of proteomics has reached a level of maturity where significant biological discoveries are being made with current technology. By far the largest numbers of proteomics experiments employ a “bottom-up” protein analysis. In this strategy proteins or protein mixtures are digested with a protease and then analyzed en masse in a “shotgun” format. Tandem mass spectrometry is then used to sequence peptides, and informatics tools are used to identify the sequences and assign them to proteins or genes. This same strategy can be used to identify modifications to peptides. This strategy works very well to identify the proteins present and their modifications. A challenge for bottom-up proteomics is the proper assignment of protein isoforms and patterns of modifications that create the many proteoforms present in cells. Why is this important? The functional sophistication of complex organisms, like humans, is driven by the ability to use a limited number of gene sequences in many different ways. Determining the precise proteoform involved in a specific function will be key for dissecting out the molecular mechanisms used by eukaryotic organisms. A key technology to determine this information is “top down” mass spectrometry. In this method, intact proteins are analyzed to both identify the protein and to determine the identity and location of modifications within the protein using a tandem mass spectrometer. The analysis of intact proteins by mass spectrometry is a major challenge. The first problem for top down analysis is fractionation of proteins. Traditional methods such as gel electrophoresis have limitations on the recovery of proteins in a form suitable for analysis by mass spectrometry. Extracting gel-separated proteins from the polyacrylamide matrix requires electroelution or electroblotting, frequently resulting in sample losses. Chromatographic methods to separate intact proteins can work well, but the resolving power for intact proteins with more than ~500 amino acids is poor. After introduction into the mass spectrometer, amide bonds in the protein backbone must be fragmented to create ladders of sequence information. Because proteins have many chemical bonds that can “soak up” energy put into ions, vigorous research into excitation methods to more efficiently and completely fragment intact protein ions is bearing fruit. The nonergodic methods for protein ion excitation are increasingly able to fragment larger and larger protein ions, which when coupled with improvements in mass resolving power are aiding in robust protein identification. A key technological change underway is the development of lower cost mass spectrometers that are able to analyze intact proteins. This change will put the technology into more hands, which will speed up innovations and developments. A recent American Society for Mass Spectrometry Sanibel Conference meeting for top down mass spectrometry was very well attended and the lectures demonstrated a vibrant and growing subfield of mass spectrometry-based proteomics and biopharmaceutical analysis. To complement this very successful meeting and highlight a growth area, the Journal of Proteome Research and Analytical Chemistry have assembled and published a joint thematic virtual issue of the papers published in these journals on top down proteomics. This thematic issue emphasizes the challenges and successes in the field from preparation and fractionation of intact proteins to methods for direct fragmentation of whole proteins and the informatics for their identification by database retrieval. Recent developments clearly show that top down proteomics is a vigorous and energized area of research as described in a recent Chemical and Engineering News article by Celia Arnaud.

Analytical Methods in the Quality Control of Scientific Publications Part II: The Authors’, Reviewers’, Editors’ Responsibility, and the Publishers’ Authority

Publication of scientific documents as research reports and original papers has an important place in displaying the authors’ knowledge, integrity, responsibility, and honesty. The same is true for the reviewers and editors. The authority of a publisher strongly depends on the qualifications of the experts who review the manuscripts, and the recommendations they provide to the authors and editors. The honesty of the authors, reviewers, and editors is of the utmost importance. The author of the paper titled “Analytical Methods in Quality Control of Scientific Publications”, which was published in theAmerican Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 2012, 3, 443-447 (DOI: 10.4236/ajac.2012.36058) had criticized the paper published by Dongreet al., “Application of GC-EI-MS for the Identification and Investigation of Positional Isomer in Primaquine, an Antimalarial Drug, ”Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2005, 39, 111-116 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2005.03.019), for presenting falsifications in this publication. Neither the reviewer northe Edi-tor-in-Chief Bezhan Chankvetadze of the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysishas reacted to accusations of falsification. If a reviewer and editor are poorly qualified, unprincipled, or even corrupt, as was suggested by Bob Grant inThe Scientistmagazine (http://www.the-scientist.com/display/55679/#ixzz0mmsPoMIS), it is not good enough to consider simply that the publisher / journal has a high ranking and is indexed in PubMed or the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). In this editorial, we report a profound misunderstanding oralack of knowledge by the authors Shixue G., Zhuoyu L., and Wei W., in their paper published in ZhongguoYaoye China Pharmaceuticals, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2005, pp. 36-37 and a similar lack of professionalism by reviewers and editors. The influence and the role of internationally used pharmacopeias, such as The British Pharmacopoeia, European Pharmacopoeia, The United States Pharmacopeial Convention, and United States Pharmacopeia are shown as the main initiators and drivers of these misunderstandings.

Bioanalysis Young Investigator: Dajana Vuckovic

Dajana currently has 21 peer-reviewed articles published or accepted for publication in top analytical chemistry journals including Analytical Chemistry and Angewandte Chemie International Edition. She has co-authored eight book chapters, and made 22 presentations at international conferences such as Pittcon and ASMS conferences. Dajana's commitment to excellence is also illustrated by the awards she has won to date, including a Postdoctoral Fellow Award offered by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2010-2012) and the Douglas E Ryan Analytical Chemistry Student Award of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (2010). During her PhD in my group, Dajana excelled in very diverse areas of interest including the development of targeted LC-MS assays for drugs and metabolites, application of in vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in mice and LC-MS metabolomics for the first time, and evaluation of a high-throughput 96-well plate automated SPME system. Since her graduation from my group she has further extended her bioanalytical expertise to proteomics. I think Dajana's excellent research productivity, accomplishments to date, willingness to address complex bioanalytical challenges and extensive expertise in both small molecule and protein bioanalysis make her an excellent candidate for the Bioanalysis Young Investigator Award.

Chromatographic techniques in analysis of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in drugs and biological samples

Abstract Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as a therapeutic class, are among the most often used active pharmaceutical ingredients in heath care in the world. They are mostly available without prescription and often used for treatment of fever and pain. An extensive research of the literature published in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry journals has been conducted and the chromatographic methods which were used for the purity, stability and pharmacokinetic studies of the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, in formulations and biological materials have been reviewed. The methodology for the analysis of selected drugs is very well documented and many examples are available in the literature. The common use of chromatographic techniques with various detection attachments provide possibility for monitoring of drugs in therapy.

Dispelling the myths surrounding the Research Excellence Framework

In a recent discussion with a colleague from the UK, we learned that scientists in his department are currently under pressure to submit their work to the highest impact journal they can in order to have the greatest impact in the upcoming Research Exercise Framework (REF) for the UK’s academic units. Unfortunately, he pointed out that, under these constraints, RCM – as well as JASMS, JMS, IJMS and EJMS – does not fit the journal profile to which they were asked to publish. Instead, Analytical Chemistry and similar multidisciplinary journals with higher impact factors are favoured by the university. For us at RCM, this is an interesting and somewhat frustrating situation. Does it mean, for mass spectrometry, that articles from the UKmay be re-routed to more generalist journals such as JACS and Analytical Chemistry rather than the core mass spectrometry journals? And if that is the case, how are authors going to pitch (or reformat) their mass spectrometry articles, so a generalist journal will accept them? Let’s be honest about this, most of the typical RCM, JASMS, JMS, IJMS or EJMS articles will not find favor with editors of generalist analytical chemistry journals because of the very specialized nature of the research. Of course, this is exactly the reason for the existence of community journals such as RCM and other mass spectrometry journals. Interestingly, among the many articles and opinions on the subject of ‘impact’ assessment, we came across the following statement by Zwahlen et al. who make particular reference to the UK situation, “We share. . . concern about the epidemic of impactitis, which appears to rage in Germany and elsewhere. One country which appears to be to some extent immune against this disease is the United Kingdom”. Well, this immunity certainly does not appear to be present in every academic institution in the UK. The above situation has prompted us to take a closer look at the importance of impact factors, modern research assessments tools and the factors and interactions that ultimately determine the ’impact’ of generalist, multidisciplinary versus community journals, with particular reference to the upcoming REF exercise.

The development of planar chromatography in 1980–1990 and 2000–2010 (the Scientometric Study)

The scientometric study of the tendencies of change of basic chromatographic characteristics has been carried out based on the analysis of the content of papers published in this area in the following journals: Journal of Planar Chromatography — Modern TLC, Chromatographia, Journal of Chromatography A, Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Sorption and Chromatographic Processes (Russia), as well as the abstracts of the articles published in CAMAG Bibliography Service (CBS). Based on the comparison of the contents of the articles on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) published in the recent two decades: (1) from 1980 to 1990 and (2) from 2000 to 2010, the estimate of the main analytical characteristics characterizing the method of planar chromatography has been carried out. The following characteristics of planar chromatography were taken as the most important ones for the above mentioned periods of time: methods of chromatography, a type of a chromato...

New Regional Editor

Andrei Rotaru was born on the 9th of August 1983 in Craiova, Romania. Since November 2006, he is working at the National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics (INFLPR) Bucharest, Romania, where he currently holds the position of Researcher III (equiv. to Lecturer). Andrei has received his BSc in Chemistry and Physics from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Bucharest in 2006, specializing in Physical chemistry. Since 2004, he has carried out research in the field of thermal analysis and kinetics of heterogeneous processes (decomposition of various systems, including liquid crystals and dyes, complex inorganic materials and precursors, biomass and coal). He has also developed a software for performing kinetic computations (TKS-SP) and later on used this knowledge in studying, modelling and processing of thin films by laser-assisted techniques (mainly MAPLE). In 2007, Andrei has received an EPSRC grant, followed by a prestigious fellowship of the Roberto Rocca ‘‘Educational Program’’ for his doctoral studies in solid-state chemistry of ceramic materials at the University of St Andrews, United Kingdom. These more recent interests are related to the fabrication, thermal processing and characterization of novel electroceramic materials with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure. In general, a special interest was directed on modelling relaxation processes in polar dielectric ceramics and investigating the structure–properties relations to induce and control ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism. In 2011, he was the co-chairman of the 1st Central and East European Conference on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (CEEC-TAC1), and in 2008 a member of the scientific committee of the 14th International Congress on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC14) in Brazil; he is a member of the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC), Commission for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry of the Romanian Academy (CATCAR), Kinetics committee at ICTAC, International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), and president of the Central and Eastern European Committee for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (CEEC-TAC). Currently, he acts as an editor for thermal analysis at the Global Journal of Analytical Chemistry and as a reviewer for several journals: The Journal of Physical Chemistry, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, Thermochimica Acta, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Dyes & Pigments, Chemical Industry & Chemical Engineering Quarterly, etc. Andrei has been an invited lecturer at several universities and institutes from Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and is directly involved and interested in A. Rotaru (&) INFLPR – National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Bvd. Atomistilor, nr 409, Magurele (Ilfov), Bucharest, Romania e-mail: andrei.rotaru@inflpr.ro Name: A. Rotaru

Bioanalysis Young Investigator: Narahara Chari Dingari

Supervisor’s supporting comments It gives me enormous pleasure to nominate Narahara Chari Dingari for the Bioanalysis Young Investigator 2011 award. Chari has been working with me since 2009 and we have worked together on numerous biomedical projects, including ones where he has put lots of effort into publishing new methods and findings in prestigious journals such as Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Biomedical Optics, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry and Biomedical Optics Express. I have found him to be very diligent with high academic interests and intellectual ability. Chari is a promising scientist motivated to work in multidisciplinary research areas and is quite capable of setting up his own team and carrying out independent research. Chari’s current work bears direct impact in the diagnosis of important diseases such as breast cancer and malaria as well as in noninvasive blood glucose detection. He has excellent communication skills and is highly motivated in his pursuit of an advanced career in biomedical optics, spectroscopy and bioanalysis. I have extremely high expectations for him in the future as he continues to grow as an independent research scientist and a team leader. His eventual goal is to join the faculty of a major university and build a high-impact research laboratory. I strongly recommend him without any reservations for this prestigious award.

Focus on the nanomaterial-based biosensor papers in Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry of the year 2010

Because of their unique physical and chemical properties, nanomaterials have been widely used to develop biosensing systems for bioanalytical and biomedical applications. The journal Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry published 35 papers on nanomaterial-based biosensors in 2010, including 5 reviews [1-5] and 29 research articles [6-34]. These biosensing systems were fabricated by a broad range of nanomaterials ( e.g ., carbon nanotube, gold nanoparticle, magnetic nanoparticle, silica nanoparticle, quantum dot, and so forth, Figure 1), some of them have high quality and get great achievements.

Focus on bioanalysis

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry was established in 2002 through the merger of Fresenius’ Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Analusis, and Quimica Analitica. The merger reflected not only the internationalization of the subject but also a shift in focus towards bioanalysis. Accordingly, two special issues were published in 2003 and 2008 highlighting the vibrant area of bioanalysis. The success of these special issues encouraged the Editorial Board of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry to schedule a further special issue on this topic. Antje Baeumner has now joined, as a guest editor, in inviting the scientific community to submit original papers and reviews on the state-of-the-art of bioanalysis. Today the bioanalytical focus of the journal features both:

MEET THE GUEST EDITOR

Sibel A. Ozkan studied at Ankara University, from where she received her Pharmacy degree in 1985. She obtained her Masters (1988) and PhD (1994) degrees in the same university, Analytical Chemistry Department. She has become full professor 2003. She has been involved in several analytical chemistry projects related to electroanalytical chemistry and separation techniques on drug active compounds and DNA-Drug interactions. She has organized and participated in organizing committees of a number of international meetings related to Pharmaceutical Sciences (Series of ISOPS-Ankara-Turkey). Her research interest focuses on the electrochemical investigations of pharmaceutically active compounds and their analysis using electroanalytical, chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods, and their validations. Her research area currently moves to the development of DNA biosensors and their interactions with drugs. She is currently a faculty member at the Analytical Chemistry Department at Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University. Prof. Ozkan is active as a referee with Talanta, Electrochimica Acta, Analytica Chimica Acta, Chromatographia, Analytical Letters, Sensor and Actuator B, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, Journal of Separation Science and etc. She is a member of Editorial Board of Chromatographia, Talanta, The Open Analytical Chemistry Journal, The Global Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FABAD). She was Vice Editor of the Special Issue of CHROMATOGRAPHIA Vol. 66, 2007, “Application of Separation Techniques in Turkey” with Dr. Henk LINGEMAN (CHROMATOGRAPHIA Editor). She received Ankara University Scientific Promotion Award in 2003 and Turkish Pharmaceutical Association, Academy of Pharmacy Science Award in 2008. Prof. Ozkan is an author of 124 original and review papers. Some selected publications are cited below.

Electrochemical Sensors in the Development of Selective Methods for Antiepileptic Drugs Determination

The measurement of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in different samples has received considerable attention due to the directly correlation between clinical effects and plasma concentration. Numerous methods have been extensively applied to the analysis of AEDs since many years ago providing reliable and accurate results. This paper provides an overview of electrochemical techniques used for the analysis of different AEDs. More than sixty papers from refereed analytical chemistry journals on the analysis of AEDs in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples are included. The present review shows the development of novel measurement electrochemical based on the use of different types of electrodes including mercury electrodes, screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) and electrodes modified with metal films and nanoparticles. Electrochemical biosensors and immunosensors developed for the analysis of AEDs have been also reviewed.

Thin-layer Chromatography Methods for the Determination of Non- Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Cephalosporin Antibiotics: A Review

An extensive survey of the literature published in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry journals has been conducted and the TLC methods which were developed and used for determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cephalosporin antibiotics in bulk drugs, formulations and biological fluids have been reviewed. This review covers the time period from 1990 to 2008 during which over 120 TLC methods were reported. Presented review highlighted some recent patent developments and new TLC techniques that have been used in the analysis and detection of two different kinds of drugs. Keywords: TLC, NSAIDs, cephalosporins, analytical methods, review

Analytical science in Germany—method developments and new applications at high international standards

As usual for industrial nations such as Germany, the analytical sciences are implemented in many different branches, such as high technologies, the natural and life sciences as well as environmental technology. Whereas routine methods are usually applied at the highest international standards in corresponding laboratories in industry or in independent analytical laboratories, most of the innovative developments in analytical science are carried out in research laboratories of universities or research institutes such as those of the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society and the Leibniz Association. In this case analytical science is not only associated with analytical chemistry but also with physics, biology, geology and medical departments and those of material sciences. This broad distribution of analytical activities is also reflected in this special issue of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. However, even though many different scientific fields contribute to innovative developments and new applications in the analytical sciences, a major activity is focused on research laboratories in analytical chemistry that have traditionally made substantial contributions to academic education in German chemistry faculties. Unfortunately, the influence of analytical chemistry as a ‘minor field of study’ in chemistry studies is decreasing in Germany, so the general importance of this branch of study must be made more obvious to the scientific community and also to the general public. In the past, analytical chemistry played a more important role in chemistry studies at German universities. The University of Leipzig, the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Eberhard Karls University Tubingen are only three of many important centres where many innovative analytical activities were carried out, and from where internationally well known analytical chemists have emerged. A tribute to one of these academic teachers in analytical chemistry from the University of Mainz, Prof. Rolf Neeb, is therefore published at the beginning of this special issue to commemorate the 80th anniversary of his birth in 2009. Rolf Neeb was an internationally well known analytical chemist in the field of electroanalytical chemistry and received his diploma under the supervision of Wilhelm Geilmann, another very important person in the German history of analytical chemistry. Also the Editor of the Fresenius’ Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Prof. Wilhelm Fresenius, was Honorary Professor of this university. During his life time he contributed greatly to the development and success of analytical chemistry in Germany. Recently, in German universities a pilot project has been evaluated to establish strategies to compare different faculties within a university and to rank them within the scientific community. Overall, chemistry demonstrated a very high standard internationally, underscoring the traditional interest in German postdoctoral researchers worldwide. However, in the final statement of the evaluation group, analytical chemistry in Germany was attested as having low visibility and only a fair reputation. This conclusion was unsatisfactory both to German analysts and to the Division of Analytical Chemistry within the German Chemical Society. Their representatives wrote a G. Gauglitz Institut fur Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Eberhard Karls University Tubingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tubingen, Germany e-mail: guenter.gauglitz@ipc.uni-tuebingen.de