Ion chromatography: Current strengths, key limitations, and future trends

Ion chromatography, developed over the past 50 years, has significantly revolutionized analytical chemistry, going far beyond the classical determination of simple anions and cations. During this time, the separation technique has undergone a profound evolution in both instrumentation, and scope of applications. Its primary field of applications remain water and wastewater monitoring. However, over the past decade, there has been a dynamic expansion of its applications in environmental, food, pharmaceutical, clinical, and different industrial samples. This paper discusses the key advantages and limitations of ion chromatography and provides an overview of the most significant achievements of the past 10 years in terms of new application areas, technological development, and the implementation of updated and new international standards based on ion chromatography. Based on this, current trends and prospects for the further development of this technique as a key tool for modern analysis in various fields of science and industry are outlined.