Dear readers,


We are pleased that in this special issue of Monatshefte für Chemie/Chemical Monthly we can offer you 18 contributions, the authors or co-authors of which are Ph.D. students of analytical chemistry. The importance of scientific communication is essential for the development of any scientific field. Therefore, it is vital for promising young scientists at the very beginning of their scientific career to learn and master scientific communication. Thus, the purpose of this volume—published with the generous consent of the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Prof. Dr. Peter Gärtner—is to assist these young scientists in developing their communication skills.

The volume is opened with two interesting reviews focused on the application of analytical chemistry to complex biologically active systems. Then there are 16 original research articles, the authors of which use various instrumental analytical methods to solve a broad spectrum of problems, from the study of historical artifacts, through the development of new analytical techniques, forensic analysis, use of analytical chemistry to monitor the quality of products of daily use or the environment, to theoretical aspects of contemporary analytical chemistry.

We hope that attentive reader will find the contributions interesting, thought-provoking, and of high quality. Through this, the reader will be assured that the upcoming generation of analytical chemists brings and ensures rewarding, exciting, steadily developing analytical chemistry with bright perspectives and broad applicability for the good of all humanity.

As editors of this special issue, we are deeply grateful to the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Peter Gärtner, and the Managing Editor, Dr. Christian Hametner, for their kind support in preparing this issue. Our thanks come also to all referees for their valuable comments that improved the quality of the contributions, and to the staff of the Publisher, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, for all their help with the release of this special issue.


Enjoy reading this issue,

Karel Nesměrák and Tomáš Navrátil.