Isotope dilution analysis for elemental speciation: a tutorial review

The identification and/or determination of the different (bio)chemical forms in which an element can be present in a given sample is called “speciation analysis.” In many cases, qualitative information is not enough and methods for the accurate and precise determination of the identified species need to be developed. In this review, we describe in some depth one of the most accurate approaches developed so far for such purpose: the application of isotope dilution analysis to quantitative elemental speciation.