Speciation analysis in routine applications is a growing and essential part of modern analytical workflows—particularly in environmental monitoring, food safety, pharmaceutical quality control, and regulatory compliance.
Over the past two decades, speciation analysis has moved from being a primarily research-focused activity to becoming increasingly routine in accredited laboratories, thanks to advances in instrumentation, automation, and standardized methods.
Where Speciation Analysis is Routinely Applied
- Environmental Monitoring
- Regulatory-driven: Agencies like the US EPA and EU require speciation data for elements such as arsenic, mercury, and chromium in drinking water, soils, and wastewater.
- Examples:
- Arsenic speciation (As(III) / As(V)) in groundwater (WHO guideline: 10 µg/L for inorganic As).
- Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), toxic and carcinogenic, routinely monitored separately from total Cr.
- Food Safety and Nutrition
- Routine testing labs analyze foods for:
- Inorganic arsenic in rice and rice-based products (EU limits: 0.10–0.30 mg/kg).
- Methylmercury in fish (regulated due to neurotoxicity).
- Iodine and selenium species in supplements and fortified foods for nutritional labeling.
- Codex Alimentarius and EU food legislation increasingly require species-specific data.
3.
Clinical and Pharmaceutical Fields - Quality control of metal-based drugs:
- Cisplatin, carboplatin, and their metabolites/species in blood or urine.
- Monitoring metal ions in patients:
- Speciation of iron, copper, or zinc to assess deficiency or overload in clinical settings.
- Bioanalytical labs use LC-ICP-MS or CE-ICP-MS for validated workflows.
4.
Industrial and Material Analysis - Catalyst development and material degradation studies often require speciation to track oxidation states (e.g., Pt²⁺ vs Pt⁴⁺).
- In semiconductor and battery industries, knowledge of chemical forms of elements is essential for product stability and performance.
Instrumentation and Methodologies Used RoutinelySpeciation analysis in routine settings is largely enabled by hyphenated techniques, particularly:
Many of these techniques are now automated, with:
Standard Methods and Guidelines
There are several official standard methods and guidelines for elemental speciation analysis, developed by organizations like ISO, EPA, CEN, AOAC, and IUPAC. These methods support regulatory compliance, laboratory accreditation, and consistent analytical quality across industries.
Notes on Method Selection- Many laboratories use validated in-house methods or adaptations of international standards when official methods for a given species don’t yet exist.
- Matrix-specific method development is often needed: the same species behaves differently in water, soil, food, or blood.
Trends in Routine Speciation- Miniaturization & speed: Faster separation with microfluidic or chip-based systems.
- Lab-on-a-chip prototypes are being tested for real-time speciation.
- Online speciation monitoring: Being implemented in water treatment and process industries.
Summary:Speciation analysis has evolved from a high-end research tool to a critical routine technique in many regulated fields. It delivers the specificity needed for accurate decision-making, regulatory compliance, and risk assessment—where total element data simply falls short.
Related EVISA Resources
Related EVISA News (newest first):
last time modified: May 14, 2025
