Capillary electrophoresis: the state-of-the-art in metal speciation studies

An overview of the state-of-the-art of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for metal speciation analysis is presented. Various CE separation approaches and detection modes applied are discussed. A comprehensive description of reported methods to date in CE speciation studies of individual metals in different oxidation states, metal complexes with inorganic and organic ligands, oxoanions and organometallic compounds is demonstrated. The potential of CE for characterisation of metal interactions with large molecules like humic substances and proteins is also described. Several examples are presented to demonstrate CE's ability to solve real-world speciation problems. Further, the current strengths and limitations of CE with regard to speciation studies are discussed. The performance of CE is also critically evaluated in relationship to conventional chromatographic techniques used in metal speciation determination. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.