Guidelines for terms related to chemical speciation and fractionation of elements. Definitions, structural aspects, and methodological approaches (IUPAC Recommendations 2000)

This paper presents definitions of concepts related to speciation of elements, more particularly speciation analysis and chemical species. Fractionation is distinguished from speciation analysis, and a general outline of fractionation procedures is given. We propose a categorization of species according to isotopic composition of the element, its oxidation and electronic states, and its complex and molecular structure. Examples are given of methodological approaches used for speciation analysis. A synopsis of the methodology of dynamic speciation analysis is also presented.