Young Analytical Scientists issue

It is a great privilege for me to be writing an editorial for a JAAS special issue on the occasion of the journal’s 25 years. Even though it’s an editorial for a special issue dedicated to Young Analytical Scientists (YAS), the 3rd in its series, its coincidence with the 25 year mark of JAAS is something more than symbolic for me. In fact, I consider the Journal’s history and past, along with the YAS publishing in this issue and the previous YAS Special issues, to be two of its most important assets for propelling it into the future, accompanied by all its well known qualities.

As a PhD student in the early 90’s at the University of British Columbia, JAAS was the journal that introduced me to the community of analytical atomic spectrometry. Back then, one would have to actually visit the University library to read the latest chemistry journal issues, JAAS included. This may surprise the younger analytical scientists but on-line journals were not yet available on the internet that had only recently been introduced. For me these hard copy issues of JAAS were a great source of inspiration and of research ideas, but also gave me insight into the community of analytical atomic spectrometry. Photos of distinguished scientists of our field at conferences, whose papers had inspired me, along with conference summaries and brief mentioning of social events, helped me understand how the community worked; who was doing what, who was good at what, who was new, whose research ideas were shaping the field etc., and allowed me to feel part of an exceptionally vibrant scientific community. Of course back then all research manuscripts were still submitted in three hardcopies by regular mail.

A great deal of progress and advancement has occurred since then, and of course not just on how we access and read our journals, but also with respect to the research conducted in the field of analytical atomic spectrometry. Many areas have developed, matured, become interdisciplinary, while others have recently surfaced and are starting to have an impact. In particular, analytical atomic spectrometry has become powerful in attracting interest from other fields and disciplines. So much so that due to its current productivity in interdisciplinary research, RSC publishing has launched the journal Metallomics which aspires to cover a great deal of the applied and interdisciplinary analytical atomic research.

These are all signs that analytical atomic spectrometry and the community of researchers surrounding it are making significant progress, both scientific and technological. When thinking about the driving forces that have contributed towards this success, one cannot ignore the “magical ingredient” that goes into it all. That is the exceptional YAS that continuously enrich our field.

The present and past YAS special issues have clearly shown that we have well trained, very productive and dynamic YAS that are continuously introducing significant new ideas into our field. It is all these characteristics that make me confident that our future will be at least as bright as our past. In fact, I suggest that we use the YAS special issues as a barometer giving us signs about the future of our field, i.e. its strengths, research directions, interdisciplinarity and global participation.

So who are the ideal YAS to whom we can entrust the field’s future? Well, for me they should be exceptional scientists, in a position to promote interdisciplinarity, to enrich it with intersectorial participation, to question potentially outdated practises, theories, methods and attitudes, and even though this may sound profound, we really need them to think outside the box.

The aim of this special issue is to further strengthen research in the area of analytical atomic spectrometry by highlighting some of the outstanding YAS working in the field and to thus capture newly emerging areas of research, as well as to strengthen promising existing ones. This issue also signifies the becoming of exceptional YAS into potentially independent researchers in the field of analytical atomic spectrometry, as well as in other neighbouring fields that rely heavily on the progress of analytical atomic spectrometry and its innovative application.

The nominations for YAS to contribute to this special issue were made by distinguished scientists in the field of analytical atomic spectrometry following an open call inviting them to do so.

In summary, the research topics covered in the 3rd YAS special issue are the following:

In recent years analytical atomic spectrometry has become an extremely powerful technique for advanced bioanalytical and elemental speciation analyses. The research presented in this issue clearly demonstrates this trend. An HPLC-ICP-MS method, with either dynamic reaction cell-ICP-MS of sector-field-ICP-MS, was developed for detecting reactive drug metabolites, the formation of which constitute an important health risk because of their binding affinity towards proteins and DNA. The method involved using gluthathione to trap the metabolites which were then separated and detected using reversed phase HPLC-ICP-MS (Technical Note, DOI: 10.1039/B921638C). Another article describes the use of LC-ICP-MS to further investigate the metabolism of several nutritionally relevant selenium species, i.e. selenite, selenate, selenomethionine, Se-methylselenocysteine and methylseleninic acid, in rat hepatocytes (Technical Note, DOI: 10.1039/B921365A). Speciation analysis using a combination of LC with ICP-MS and electrospray-MS is currently state-of-the-art. This approach was used to study the reactivity of Pt and Ru anticancer drugs, allowing for new insights into the reactivity of metallodrugs with serum proteins (Paper, DOI: 10.1039/B922701F). Also, another complementary approach for quantitative Se speciation analysis in selenium-enriched yeast and yeast-based products, involving X-ray absorption spectroscopy, is evaluated with promising results (DOI: 10.1039/B921570K).

The use of capillary-LC with ICP-MS and parallel on-line micro fraction collection for MALDI-TOF-TOF analysis is shown to be a complementary tool for protein phosphorylation analysis. An approach which allows for the screening of peptide samples for functionalities such as phosphorylation sites associated with an ICP-MS detectable element e.g. phosphorus (DOI: 10.1039/B921145D).

In environmental speciation studies, thirteen fractions of size-classified airborne particulate matter, collected on a filter by using a multistage cascade impactor sampler, were analysed for their inorganic Sb(III) and Sb(V) content by using HPLC-ICP-MS (DOI: 10.1039/B920597G).

Important work on the use of analytical atomic techniques for the accurate measurement of isotope ratios is also part of this issue. More specifically, the optimization of Ag isotope-ratio precision with a 128-Channel array detector coupled to a Mattauch-Herzog mass spectrograph is presented (DOI: 10.1039/B914052B). Also, multicollector ICP-MS was used for the isotopic characterisation of in-house purified progesterone for ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratios (DOI: 10.1039/B922642G). The general capabilities and possibilities for improvement of isotope ratio determination by laser ablation-single collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is also discussed (DOI: 10.1039/B922856J). Multicollector ICP-MS was used for the certification of isotope ratios, isotopic abundances and atomic weight of mercury in a candidate reference material (NIMS-1) of natural isotopic composition for inorganic mercury (DOI: 10.1039/B926288A). A review article presents and critically discusses new concepts, methodologies and trends that have appeared during the last five years of scientific development in the field of isotope dilution analysis for elemental speciation (DOI: 10.1039/B924261A).

A more novel application article of analytical atomic spectrometry described the use of ICP-MS detection for the characterisation of bio-functional, lanthanide-labeled polymer particles by seeded emulsion polymerization. These particles have the potential to serve as precursors for multiplexed, bead-based bio-assays utilizing mass cytometric detection (DOI: 10.1039/B916850H). In a similar fashion the suitability of metal-containing polystyrene beads for the calibration of a mass cytometer instrument, a single particle analyser based on an inductively coupled plasma ion source and a time of flight mass spectrometer, were examined (DOI: 10.1039/B921770C). Another interesting application involving micro synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence in association with chemometric tools in order to investigate the stages of citrus greening disease is also presented. It was shown that the signals for K, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn and the region of coherent and incoherent scatterings were relevant to the differentiation of the healthy and infected samples (DOI: 10.1039/B920980H). Furthermore, the use of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis for the quantitative imaging of element spatial distribution (Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn) in the brain section of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease is presented (DOI: 10.1039/B921201A).

Sample preparation for ICP-MS is an area that continues to require attention and improvement. In this issue, an approach for the dissolution of geological samples (different types of rock reference materials) using mixtures of the less toxic and safer NH₄F and HNO₃ in high pressure digestion bombs, has been investigated as an alternative to the conventional method that uses HF and HNO₃ (DOI: 10.1039/B921006G). Also a new coprecipitation method using iron hydroxide to preconcentrate rare earth elements (REEs) in natural water prior to determination by ICP-MS is presented. The precipitate collected in a syringe filter is connected into an ultrasound-assisted on-line elution and ICP-MS measurement system for REEs (DOI: 10.1039/B921214K).

Fundamental type research is also part of this issue. One study proposed shorter signals for improved Signal to Noise ratio, and discussed the influence of Poisson distribution (DOI: 10.1039/B921077F). Also an algorithm is described for the automated identification of matrix-effect-free crossover points in ICP-AES. The algorithm demonstrated that an analyte needs to be present at a concentration roughly 100 to 200 times its detection limit for accurate results to be obtained (DOI: 10.1039/B922654K). In a theoretical study, the numerical simulation analysis of flow patterns and particle transport in the HEAD laser ablation cell with respect to inductively coupled plasma spectrometry was conducted (DOI: 10.1039/B920905K). The emerging field of plasma-based ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry is also investigated for ionization matrix effects in order to evaluate its suitability for qualitative and quantitative analysis (DOI: 10.1039/B923564G).

Studies on glow discharge (GD) are also included. One such study compares different calibration strategies for the analysis of zinc and other pure metals by using two GD-MS instruments (DOI: 10.1039/B921649A). In another study, pulsed radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometry is used for the direct characterisation of photovoltaic thin film silicon solar cells, demonstrating it to be a powerful tool for direct depth-profiling analysis, suitable for discriminating the different parts of the photovoltaic devices (DOI: 10.1039/B923884K).

I wish to finish off this editorial in a similar fashion to that of the 1st and 2nd issue. That is by thanking my many prominent colleagues for their nominations of contributors. This I believe is the key ingredient for a successful YAS special issue. Also, special thanks must be given to the JAAS Editorial Staff for their hard work organising and publishing this issue. Finally, the Young Analytical Scientists for responding to our invitation and sending us some of their finest work. I truly wish them the best success in the future.

Also for these YAS special issues to continue, they must do so in a dynamic fashion. This means that feedback and new ideas for their improvement are necessary and thus more than welcome.

Spiros A. Pergantis

Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry

Department of Chemistry

University of Crete

spergantis@chemistry.uoc.gr

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