Editorial [Hot Topic: Analytical Methods in Organic Chemistry (Guest Editors: Atta-ur-Rahman and Klaus-Peter Zeller)]

In this issue the reader finds four review articles illustrating the superiority of modern mass spectrometry in several fields of applications: In their article, Thevis and Schänzer summarize the achievements made by mass spectrometric techniques to prove doping of athletes. It can be stated that mass spectrometry in combination with advanced separation methods is the only way to cope with doping, the ugly face of the contemporary sport. The two following articles by Moriwaki and Medana, Calza, Baiocchi and Pelizzetti cover the role of mass spectrometry in the analysis of persistent pollutants and pesticides. Both reviews nicely demonstrate the high impact of MS techniques in an area of enormous importance for modern societies. However, mass spectrometry is not only a method to determine the occurrence of molecules in body fluids or environmental matrices. As shown by König it has also established a firm position in functional protein analysis. Three articles of this issue emphasize the power of spectroscopic methods in life sciences: Lopes and Castanho overview the common spectroscopic methods that enables the study of the orientation of membrane probes and drugs in lipidic bilayers. These are FTIR linear dichroism, UV-Vis linear dichroism, time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy, NMR and surface plasmon resonance. The results obtained by these methods are of importance for molecular drug design and ligand-receptor interactions. Godderz, Peak and Rodgers elegantly describe the use of multiple-angle laser light scatterings (MALLS) to obtain insights in protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. The article of Khramtsov addresses non-invasive spectroscopic approaches for biological pH detection. It is shown that absorbtion and fluorescence probes are effective for pH studies in cellular and subcellular levels, whereas magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ESR, NMR) is advantageous for in vivo applications in animals and humans. The editors thank all authors for their efforts in providing a broad readership with insights in advanced techniques with high problem-solving potential.