The 3rd International Conference on Ion Formation from Organic Solids (IFOS III) was held at the University of Munster, September 16-18, 1985. The conference was attended by 60 invited scientists from all over the world. Of the 43 papers which were presented, 40 are included in these proceedings. The aim of IFOS III was to promote the exchange of results and new ideas between scientists actively working in the field of mass spectrometry of involatile materials. Various aspects of the ion formation process - realization and optimization, theoretical understanding and analytical application -were treated, as well as instrumental developments. Some emphasis was placed on recent developments in time-of-flight and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, and its impact on the mass spectrometry of involatile materials. The most important goal of the conference was to combine facets of the understanding of the most complex ion formation processes with the many different aspects of its analytical application. The participants came from a wide variety of different fields, including pure and applied physics and chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, and space research. Finally, on behalf of all the conference participants, I would like to thank Dr. W. Sichtermann and :\1iss I. Bekemeier for the perfect preparation and technical organization of the conference. The next conference in this series, IFOS IV, is planned for the autumn of 1987, in Munster.

A NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Methods and Mechanisms for Producing Ions from Large Molecules was held at Minaki Lodge, Minaki, Ontario, Canada, from 24 to 28 June 1990. The workshop was hosted by the time-of-flight group of the Department of Physics at the University of Manitoba, and was attended by 64 invited participants from around the world. Twenty-nine invited talks were given and 19 papers were presented as posters. Of the 48 contributions, 38 are included in these proceedings. The conference was organized to study the rapidly changing field of mass spectrometry of biomolecules. Particle-induced desorption (especially with MeV particles) has been the most effective method of producing molecular ions from biomolecules. An important part of the workshop was devoted to recent developments in this field, particularly to progress in understanding the fundamentals of the desorption process. In this respect, the meeting was similar to previous conferences in Marburg, FRG (1978); Paris, F (1980); Uppsala, S (1981); College Station, USA (1983,1984); Wangerooge, FRG (1986); Orsay, F (1988); Spiekeroog, FRG (1989); and to the IFOS series of meetings at Munster, FRG (1981,1983,1985,1987) and L6vAnger, S (1989). As in the most recent of these meetings, there was some emphasis on new developments, particularly cluster bombardment. A departure from the concentration on particle bombardment processes at this conference was inspired by the dramatic results obtained with two new methods for producing molecular ions from large molecules: matrix-assisted laser desorption and electrospray.

The proceedings contain lectures and contributed papers presented at the Latin American School of Physics in Caxambu, Brazil. Topics are related to a review of collision processes, excitation and ionization of molecules, ion formation by electron impact, mass and energy spectroscopy in collision reactions, desorption induced by ion and electron beams, and principles and applications of synchrotron radiation. The major theme of the school was “Current methods in collision processes.”

The Second International Conference on Ion Formation from Organic Solids (IFOS II) was held at the University of MUnster, Federal Republic of Germa ny, from September 7 to 9, 1982. The subject of the conference was the rapid ly developing field of ion formation from ~nvolatile, thermally labile organ ic compounds. Rapid progress has been made in this field in the last few years, mainly because of the discovery of unexpected new ionization proces ses such as sputtering and laser-induced desorption. The aim of the conference was twofold: to acquire a basic understanding of these "soft" ionization processes on the one hand, and to examine their present and future analytical applications on the other. ~Je sought to bring. together scientists working in fundamental as well as applied research. The participants represented such widely varied fields as pure and applied phys ics and chemistry, biochemistry, nuclear and solid-state physics, medicine, and pharmacology. These proceedings contain all of the papers presented at the conference. Six review papers cover the fundamentals of different ionization processes. The authors of these reviews were asked to give up-to-date surveys in cluding characteristics of spectra, the influence of excitation parameters, tentative models for ion formation processes, and assessments of their ana lytical applications. These reviews are followed by 26 contributed papers dealing with more specialized aspects of the ionization processes and their analytical applications.

Contains 23 of the 42 papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Ion Formation from Organic Solids, held at the University of Münster, in September of 1987. These contributions reflect recent progress in ion desorption by keV-particle bombardment, ion desorption by MeV-particle bombardment, ion desorption by laser irradiation, and positionization of neutrals. Fundamental aspects, instrumentation, and analytical applications are all considered.

The First International Symposium on the Interface between Analytical Chemistry and Microbiology: Applications of Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry was held June 1987 at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, U.S.A. The purpose of the "Interface" meeting was to forge connections between analytical chemists and microbiologists that are using chromatography and mass spectrometry to solve common problems. The goals were admirably fulfilled. Nearly a hundred participants from seven European countries, Japan, and the United States participated in hearing twenty-three plenary talks and thirty-six submitted papers and posters. The papers and discussions displayed the breadth and depth of current research applications and revealed future directions. This book "Analytical Microbiology Methods: Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry" is loosely based on some of the presentations and discussions at the meeting. Each chapter describes specific methodology and applications in the context of the relevant scientific background. The present book continues the theme of an earlier book, "Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Applications in Microbiology", edited by G. Odham, L. Larsson, and P-A. Mardh, published by Plenum Press in 1984.