A group G is termed conjugacy separable (c.s.) if any pair of distinct conjugacy classes may be mapped to distinct conjugacy classes in some finite epimorph of G. The free product of A and B with cyclic amalgamated subgroup H is shown to be c.s. if A and B are both free, or are both finitely generated nilpotent groups. Further, one-relator groups with nontrivial center and HNN extensions with c.s. base group and finite associated subgroups are also c.s.

Let G/G' be finitely generated and let G = B1 x A1 = B2 x A2 = … = Bi x Ai = … with each Bi isomorphic to a fixed group B which obeys the maximal condition for normal subgroups. Then the Ai represent only finitely many isomorphism classes. We give an example with B infinite cyclic, G/G' free abelian of infinite (countable) rank and such that G is decomposed as above with no two Ai isomorphic.

Lyndon's axiomatic methods are used in [1] to show, among other things, that a group G with an integer valued length function satisfying certain conditions is free. At the end of his paper [2] Lyndon gives a method of embedding such a group in a free group whose natural length function extends the function on G. We construct here a simpler embedding with the same property.

Ore (1942) studied the automorphisms of finite monomial groups and Holmes (1956, pp. 23–93) has given the form of the automorphisms of the restricted monomial groups in the infinite case. The automorphism group of a standard wreath product has been studied by Houghton (1962) and Segal (1973, Chapter 4). Monomial groups and standard wreath products are both special cases of permutational wreath product. Here we investigate the automorphisms of the permutational wreath product and consider to what extent the results holding in the special cases remain true for the general construction. Our results extend those of Bunt (1968).

A length function, for a group, associates to an element x a real number |x| subject to certain axioms, including a cancellation axiom which embodies certain cancellation properties for elements of a free group. Integer valued length functions were introduced by Roger Lyndon [1] where, with a more restrictive set of axioms than ours, it is shown that a length function for a group is given by a restriction of the usual length function on some free product.