Preface

Abstract

The fourth conference of the African Network for Analytical Chemists (SEANAC) took place in Maputo, Mozambique, 8-11 July 2012.

The SEANAC conferences are always characterized by pre-symposium workshops that are meant to address various aspects for students. In Maputo, on day one, a workshop on "Sample preparation" was given by Dr. Ron Majors of Agilent Technologies. On day two, Dr. Sharon Neal of the National Science Foundation (USA) gave a workshop on "Writing effective grants". On the same day, Dr. Jean Pemberton of Arizona University (USA) gave a workshop on "The basics of writing a good manuscript" and Dr. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey of Texas University at El Paso (USA) gave a workshop on "How to get published in scientific journals".

Five keynote lectures were given: "Electrospun sorbents and colorometric probes", Prof. N. Torto, Rhodes University (South Africa); "Pressurized fluid technology in green analytical chemistry", Prof. Charlotta Turner, Lund University (Sweden); "The speciation of mercury in soil, water and ambient air: Analytical protocols and detection", Prof. Andrew Crouch, University of Witwatersrand (South Africa); "Advances in biological and food sample method development by GCxGC/TOF-MS", Prof. Jean-Marie Dimandja, LECO (USA); and "Use of synchrotron techniques to study the environmental implications of nanoparticles in the environment: The case of terrestrial plants", Prof. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, University of Texas at El Paso (USA).

In the main conference, 5 plenary as well as 40 lectures were presented. The papers published in this issue reflect the main areas of focus at the conference, as they covered aspects of agriculture, environment, health, and emerging applications based on nanotechnology.

Nelson Torto

Conference Editor