| Abstract
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A successful approach to speciation analysis of real samples (waters, biological fluids, foods, drugs, and sediments) requires first the use of very selective methodologies, able to discriminate among the different chemical forms of the same element present in a complex matrix sample; second, the method also has to be very sensitive because the elements of interest are usually trace constituents “buried” in the complex matrix, and the individual species to be analyzed are just a fraction of such trace amounts. Moreover, it is mandatory to preserve the integrity of the species in the sample of interest during every step of the analytical procedure. Various tools and analytical strategies have been developed to tackle speciation challenges and can be computational, direct species-specific detectors, hybrid techniques, and physicochemical characterization methods. Liquid chromatography, mostly high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), constitutes a versatile separation technique for speciation, as it allows separation of species which could not be separated directly by gas chromatography.
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