An overview of capillary electrophoresis in element speciation analysis of the environment

Abstract

This article focuses on the main developments in element speciation analysis by capillary electrophoresis (CE) since the 1990s. A brief description of the main techniques employed in CE analysis has been reviewed with emphasis in the chemical species derived from inorganic forms and organic compounds bound to metal and non-metal elements. Analysis of the most important elemental species existing in the environment and biological fluids has been discussed employing the many different separation techniques available in CE analysis. Special attention has been paid to simple analytical methods but multiple element analysis of chemical species has also been considered. The great advances of modern CE equipments coupled to atomic absorption, inductively plasma emission and mass spectrometry as detection systems make possible to compete with HPLC for this purpose. Analysis of arsenic, chromium, iron, mercury, lead and tin species in their inorganic and organic forms has been discussed in more detail for their relevance in environmental chemistry.