On the basis of previous studies on the behaviour of metal-amino acid complexes with reversed-phase C18 stationary phases, which can provide useful information on metal speciation, the performances of different silica and polymeric supports were compared. Both the pH stability of the stationary phase and the presence of free OH groups in the support material, with ion-exchange effects, were considered. To determine amino-acids more rapidly and with higher reproducibility and sensitivity, a postcolumn derivatization procedure is also described. The results indicate that the use of a reversed phase on a non-conventional silica support, with postcolumn derivatization, seems to be necessary to determine metal-amino acid complexes.