It is proved that for any prime p a finitely generated nilpotent group is conjugacy separable in the class of finite p-groups if and only if the tor-sion subgroup of it is a finite p-group and the quotient group by the torsion subgroup is abelian. 1. Let K be a class of groups. A group G is called residual K (or K-residual) if for each non-unit element a ∈ G there is a homomorphism ϕ of G onto ...

We use wreath products to provide criteria for a group to be conjugacy separable or omnipotent. These criteria are in terms of virtual retractions onto cyclic subgroups. We give two applications: a straightforward topological proof of the theorem of Stebe that infiniteorder elements of Fuchsian groups (of the first type) are conjugacy distinguished, and a proof that surface groups are omnipotent.

Conjugacy separability of any group of the class of one-relator groups given by the presentation a, b; a m , b n 1m, n > 1 is proven. The proof made used of theoretical combinatorial group methods, namely the structure of amalgamated free products and some properties of the subgroups and quotients of any group of the class of one-relator groups given above.