  To understand the cosmic history of element synthesis it will be important to
obtain extinction-free measures of the heavy element contents of high-redshift
objects and to chart two monumental events: the collapse of the first
metal-free clouds to form stars, and the initial seeding of the universe with
dust. The information needed to achieve these objectives is uniquely available
in the far-infrared/submillimeter (FIR/SMM) spectral region. Following the
Decadal Report and anticipating the development of the Single Aperture Far-IR
(SAFIR) telescope and FIR/SMM interferometry, we estimate the measurement
capabilities of a large-aperture, background-limited FIR/SMM observatory and an
interferometer on a boom, and discuss how such instruments could be used to
measure the element synthesis history of the universe.
