New developments in trace element analysis in the life sciences

Summary In the analysis of trace elements in biological materials it has become more and more apparent that there is often a need not only to determine the levels of the elements in the whole sample but also to measure the element contents in fractions of the materials, such as certain types of cells, subcellular components and molecules. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to relate the elemental data to relevant biological and biochemical parameters as there is otherwise a danger that wrong conclusions may be drawn. In this paper these trends in trace element analysis are described with the help of examples and the problems which can occur in the various steps of sampling and sample preparation are discussed.

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Neue Entwicklungen bei der Spurenelementanalyse in den Biowissenschaften

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg on the occasion of his 60th birthday