Sorption losses were studied for Ag. As, Cd, Se, and Zn at a concentration level of 10 -7 M from distilled water and artificial sea-water during storage in containers made of borosilicate glass, high-pressure polyethylene, or polytetrafluoroetbylene. Apart from pH (1, 2, 4, and 8.5) and storage time (1 min to 28 days), special attention was paid to the effect of the ratio of inner container surface to sample volume. The results are compared with literature data. In addition, a survey is given of literature references on sorption of 41 elements from aqueous solutions under different experimental conditions.