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Recent trends in speciation analysis

(12.09.2025)

While speciation analysis is not the most hot topic in the domain of analytical chemistry, it is still an important driver for developments in instrumentation and analytical methodology.

Key recent trends

The demanding aspects of speciation analysis, namely sensitivity (for quantification of different species of trace elements), selectivity (to differentiate trace element species), transient signal evaluation (for following chromatographic separation) and analytical throughput (for reducing analysis time and costs), are driving forces for developments both in separation and detection techniques and methods. Here’s a summary of recent trends in speciation analysis (mainly in the areas of chemical, environmental and bioinorganic analysis), based on the latest literature (2024-2025) plus some emerging directions:

1. Hyphenated techniques remain dominant, but with incremental improvements
  • Coupling separation (HPLC, IC, capillary/nanoflow techniques) with sensitive detection (especially ICP-MS, MS/MS) remains the go-to approach. [1]
  • Hybrid molecular-atomic detection: pairing molecular detectors (e.g. ESI-MS, fluorescence) with atomic spectrometry to get both structural and elemental information
  • There’s increasing capability for detecting oxidation states, organometallic or coordination compounds, heteroatom‐containing biomolecules, etc. [2]
  • Improvements in chromatographic separation (better columns, higher resolution, faster runs) to resolve very similar species. [1][5]
2. Better pretreatment / sample preparation / preconcentration
  • For aqueous environmental samples (e.g. arsenic, selenium), the complexity of matrices and ultra-trace levels continue to drive improvements in solid-phase extraction (SPE), magnetic SPE, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), etc. [1]
  • Use of advanced sorbent materials: metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), biopolymers (chitosan, cellulose, β-cyclodextrin etc.) in SPE or composite materials. [2] [6]
  • Magnetic materials to facilitate extraction, separation, or enrichment. [2]
  • Miniaturized extraction techniques (like dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction) to handle small sample volumes while improving sensitivity

3. Metrology, standardization, and more elements
  • A broader range of elements being studied: beyond “classic” toxic ones (As, Hg, Se) to more elements (Fe, Mn, P, S, Cu, Zn, I, Sb) in biological and environmental samples. [2]
  • Improvements in reference materials (CRMs), better understanding and traceability, validation (limits, recoveries, precision, enrichment factors) in different sample matrices. [1] 

4. Instrumentation advances
  • More use of ICP-MS/MS to deal with spectral interferences (e.g. allowing more accurate detection of sulfur species via m/z 48, avoiding ^16O_2 interference) and improve selectivity. [2]
  • Use of imaging techniques (e.g. μ-XRF, μXANES) to map spatial distribution and different oxidation states in situ, sometimes at particle or micro domain level. [2][7]
  • Growing capability for single-cell elemental and speciation measurements (laser ablation, single-cell ICP-MS workflows) [8]
5. Speciation in biological/food/clinical matrices
  • More study of transformation products / metabolites in organisms (e.g. As metabolites in urine, or selenium species in plants). [3]
  • Simultaneous multi-element or multi-species detection in complex biological fluids (e.g. human samples) using separation + sensitive detection. [3]
  • Metal-tagging strategies to track biomolecules via atomic spectrometry.
6. Environmental and Regulatory Drivers
  • Focus on toxic species (e.g. methylmercury, inorganic aresenic, chromium(VI) due to stricter environmental and food safety regulations
  • Speciation now central to risk assessment and bioavailability studies in environmental monitoring

7. Sensitivity, lower detection limits, trace‐to‐ultra-trace levels 
  • Because many species are toxic even at very low concentrations, there is ongoing pressure to lower limits of detection (LODs), improve recovery and enrichment, reduce sample losses or transformations in prep steps. [1]
8. Green chemistry / sustainability 
  • Reduced solvent usage, use of novel solvents (e.g. ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents), more environmentally friendly sample prep, more efficient sample throughput. [2]
  • Use of fewer or less hazardous reagents, or materials that are reusable. Some SPE materials are being engineered to be more “green.” [2]
  • Use of nanomaterials in solid-phase extraction for cleaner, more efficient sample prep.
8. Data analytics, automation
  • More rigorous validation, more careful attention to potential artefacts (species transformation during sample prep). [1] [9]
  • Increasing use of computational tools for speciation: for example, to model kinetics of reactions (oxidation/reduction), or to help with peak deconvolution or identifying unknown species. (Although full AI/ML‐based speciation is less widespread yet in speciation‐specific literature.) [2]
  • Automated workflows for high-throughput analysis. [4]

Challenges / Needs that are driving new directions
  • Avoiding species transformation during sampling, storage, sample prep: oxidation/reduction or complexation changes that misrepresent the in-situ speciation.
  • Matrix effects: complex environmental or biological samples with interferences, binding of species to proteins or solid phases, etc.
  • Spatial resolution: knowing not just overall species in bulk, but how they are distributed (within tissues, soils, particles).
  • Real-time or in situ measurement: instead of collecting and transporting samples, methods that can monitor speciation “on site” or even continuous monitoring.
  • Speciation of less studied elements or of organically bound forms: Many of the more “exotic” or less abundant elements, or non-metal ligands, remain less well understood, so methods are being developed there.


Emerging / future directions

Based on what’s recent and what seems promising:
  • Portable instrumentation / field deployable methods: Miniaturization of sensors, portable ICP, portable imaging. Possibly lab-on-chip devices integrating sampling, separation, detection.
  • Integration of separation + detection + imaging: e.g. combining hyphenated speciation with imaging to get both species identity and spatial information.
  • Advanced sorbent materials and nanomaterials for enrichment / selective capture of target species (e.g. metal nanoparticles, molecular imprinted polymers, MOFs, etc.).
  • Single-cell / subcellular speciation: pushing detection sensitivity and spatial resolution down to cellular or subcellular scales, in biological samples, to understand metal distributions etc.
  • Stronger emphasis on metallo-proteomics / metallomics: mapping metal binding proteins, ligands, etc., including non-metal heteroatoms like S or P in the context of binding.
  • More automation, online / on-line methods: e.g. coupling sample prep directly to separation/detection, continuous flow methods, etc.
  • Better computational tools: Machine learning for deconvolution of overlapping signals, prediction/speciation modeling, kinetics, speciation under changing environmental conditions etc.


 Papers Discussing Trends in Speciation Analysis

 [1] Yanping Li, Cuicui Wang, Jianchao Zhao, Xiaoqi Liu, Mingyuan Ma, Ai Gao, Kangrui Sun, A systematic review of separation/preconcentration and detection techniques for speciation analysis of arsenic and selenium in water, Anal. Methods, 17 (2025) 5807-5830. DOI. 10.1039/d5ay00626k

Thorough review of SPE, chromatographic separation and detection strategies for natural waters; highlights MOFs/MIPs and magnetic SPE for ultra-trace work


  [2] Robert Clough, Chris F. Harrington, Steve J. Hill, Yolanda Madrid, Julian F. Tyson, Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in elemental speciation, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 40/7 (2025) 1615-1644. DOI: 10.1039/d5ja90023a

— A comprehensive, yearly “state-of-the-field” update covering Jan 2024–Dec 2024: instrumentation (ICP-MS/MS, imaging), sample prep, new target elements and metrology issues. 
Takeaway: authoritative summary of technique advances and persistent challenges (matrix effects, species transformations). 


 [3] Marina Patriarca, Nicola Barlow, Alan Cross, Sarah Hill, David Milde, Julian Tyson, Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 40 (2025) 541-664. DOI: 10.1039/D5JA90008E 

 [4] Mathis Athmer, Lina Marotz, Uwe Karst, Rapid and sensitive speciation analysis of established and emerging gadolinium-based contrast agents in the aquatic environment by IC-ICP-MS, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 40/8 (2025) 2138-2149. DOI: 10.1039/D5JA00159E

Ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS achieving very fast runs and pM detection limits for gadolinium-based contrast agents in surface waters.
Takeaway: faster hyphenated separations with excellent LODs are being demonstrated for environmental monitoring.

 [5] Cameron J. Stouffer, Sarah K. Wysora, R. Kenneth Marcus, In-line HPLC-ICP-MS method for the rapid speciation and quantification of metal constituents in cell culture media, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 39/6 (2024) 1600-1608. DOI: 10.1039/D4JA00049H  

Capillary-channeled fiber HPLC coupled to ICP-MS for Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn; emphasis on small injection volumes and rapid quantitation.

 [6] Despina A. Gkika, Athanasia K. Tolkou, Dimitra A. Lambropoulou, Dimitrios N. Bikiaris, Petros Kokkinos, Ioannis K. Kalavrouziotis, George Z. Kyzas, Application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as environmental separation tools, RSC Appl. Polym., 2/2 (2024) 127. DOI: 10.1039/d3lp00203a

Recent review covering MIP design and application to environmental and biomedical matrices. Highlights improved selectivity for target species.

 [7] Chao Xu, Dongfang Xia, Xiangchun Zhang, Qingqiang Yao, Yaling Wang, Chunyu Zhang, In situ analysis of metallodrugs at the single-cell level based on synchrotron radiation technology, Trends Anal. Chem.,  171 (2024) 117515. DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.117515

Recent reivew show mapping of oxidation state and coordination environment in situ; increasingly used to link bulk speciation to micro-domains. 

 [8] Man He, Beibei Chen, Bin Hu, ICP-MS for Single-Cell Analysis in Metallomics, in: Yu-Feng Li, Hongzhe Sun (eds.), Applied Metallomics: From Life Science to Environmental Sciences, Wiley-VCH, weinheim, 2024, 391-427. DOI: 10.1002/9783527840397.ch14

A book chapter discussing growing capability for single-cell elemental and speciation measurements (laser ablation, single-cell ICP-MS workflows).

 [9] Stephen W.C. Chung, Feasible approaches for arsenic speciation analysis in foods for dietary exposure assessment: a review, Food Addit. Contam. A, 42/3 (2025) 342-358. DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2025.2449663 

Recent review emphasizing method validation and avoiding species transformation during sampling/prep are major, unsolved challenges



Related EVISA Resources

Brief summary: Tools for elemental speciation
Brief summary: ICP-MS - A versatile detection system for speciation analysis
Brief summary: LC-ICP-MS - The most often used hyphenated system for speciation analysis
Brief summary: GC-ICP-MS
Brief summary: CE-ICP-MS for speciation analysis
Brief summary: ESI-MS: The tool for the identification of species
Brief summary: Speciation Analysis - Striving for Quality
Brief summary: Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry as a Detection System for Speciation Analysis



 Research Areas for Speciation Analysis

 Brief summary: Speciation analysis for the study of metallodrugs and their biomolecular interactions 
 Brief summary: Chemical speciation analysis for nutrition and food science 
 Brief summary: Chemical speciation analysis for the life sciences 
 Brief summary: The role of speciation analysis in material science 
 Brief summary: Trace element speciation analysis for environmental sciences 
 Brief summary: Nanoparticles - a target for speciation analysis



Related EVISA News (newest first)

 May 14, 2025: Speciation analysis in routine applications 
 May 13, 2025: Speciation Analysis - A Key Focus in Analytical Chemistry 
 September 17, 2018: Single particle detection by ICP-MS: From particles via ion clouds to signals 
 July 19, 2012:Triple Quad ICP-MS: Pushing the limits for quantitation of phosphorus and sulfur 



last time modified: September 27, 2025



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