Trace metal and metalloid species determination: evolution and trends

Metal species determination has seen considerable evolution during the last decade. The issues addressed by total metal determinations using standard spectrochemical analyses deliver only a minimal amount of information required to appropriately inform decision making. In molecular analyses, coupled instrumentation systems allow us to obtain molecular information for assisting in identifying the compounds of interest. Metal species determinations will provide additional information beyond that available from total metal determinations. Many total metal determinations will be replaced with elemental speciation determinations when species-selective risk/benefit assessment is a priority. This paper discusses the differences between traditional inorganic metals analysis and metal species determinations and outlines new trends. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.