INTRODUCTION

The determination of trace elements has gained outstanding importance in the life sciences. Elements present even at minimal concentrations in biological and environmental matrices, in fact, can exert fundamental influence on vital functions proportionally to their amounts. However, during the last two decades analytical chemists increasingly realized that total concentrations of chemical elements cannot give, in general, information about mobility, bioavailability and the eventual impact of elements on ecological systems and biological organisms. Only the knowledge of the chemical species of the elements can provide an understanding of chemical and biochemical reactions and thus lead to more information about toxicity or essentiality. It is also worth stressing, in this context that new trace elements are being added to the list of those that are known or suspected to be essential.

During the last decade of the recent century six
International Workshops on Trace Element Analytical Chemistry in Medicine and Biology
had been organized at the GSF National Research Center. This series of conferences was switched into a series of conferences dealing now with trace element speciation.

As an adaption to the new demands the "First International Conference on Trace Element Speciation in Biomedical, Nutritional and Environmental Sciences" was held in May 1998 at the GSF National Research center for Environment and Health, followed by the second one in this series in 2001. This conference will be repeated every three years at the GSF National Research Center.

Our intention for the Speciation Conference is to provide a highly qualified platform for all activities in element speciation and to create a form for open discussions about very new and perhaps not fully established findings.
The Scientific Committee emphasises the aim to keep close to definitions of chemical speciation by IUPAC .
Specifically species identification provides a strong link to methods and strategies of organic analytical chemistry. Thus some fields in organic analytical chemistry are now introduced in this conference. The scientific committee stress the aim to get a closer exchange of knowledge and experience - especially in sample preparation and analytical techniques - to increase the benefit for inorganic and organic speciation as well as the discussions between these disciplines. Organic analytical chemists are thus also invited to contribute to this conference.
The Scientific Committee encourages especially young researchers to join the conference with very new contributions.