Applications of methacrylate-based monolithic supports for speciation analysis

Liquid chromatography combined with element specific detection is commonly applied in speciation analysis. In these analyses, to obtain reliable data chemical species should not be transformed. To preserve chemical species during the separation step, fast chromatographic procedures and mild separation conditions are required. Monolithic supports that enable rapid chromatographic separations have rarely been used in speciation analysis. Methacrylate-based anion- and cation-exchange monolithic supports offer separation of charged chemical species of elements and can be used as a complementary tool to particle-packed liquid chromatographic columns. The present paper presents an overview of successful applications of methacrylate-based monolithic supports in speciation of zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and aluminium (Al) in environmental, occupational health, and biological samples. Measures of analytical performance of convective interaction media (CIM) monolithic chromatographic supports, namely selectivity, sensitivity, and time of analysis, are compared to those of particle-packed columns. The potential of CIM monolithic chromatography in speciation analysis is critically discussed. Direct comparison of the experimental data in speciation of elements by ion-exchange monolithic and fast protein liquid chromatography is reported for the first time. Finally, some recommendations are given for further investigations of the potential of monolithic chromatography and its implementations in different fields of element speciation analysis.