Ion chromatographic characterization of toxic solutions: analysis and ion chemistry of biological liquids.

The literature on the analysis of biological fluids by ion chromatography is reviewed herein. It has been demonstrated that ion chromatography is the method of choice for the determination of anions such as chloride, nitrite, bromide, phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, oxalate, thiocyanate, thiosulfate, citrate, isocitrate, carbonate, and similar species. Cations such as sodium, ammonium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in various biological solutions have also been successfully identified and quantified. The technique fulfils several requirements of a reliable microanalytical method by providing sufficient speed, automation, case of use, and accuracy. For many types of analyses, very little or even no sample preparation is required. Because of this, as presented in this review, ion chromatography is widely used not only to obtain reliable clinical data, but also to study ion chemistry. It has been an invaluable tool in nephrolithiasis and dental research. This review should provide a useful reference for analysts and researchers involved in clinical studies. The review is presented in four sections: (1) introduction, (2) methods of analysis, (3) ion chemistry and (4) critical comments and concluding remarks. Section 1, as usual, deals with the general introduction of the subject and objectives. Section 2 includes the review of the literature on ion chromatography (IC) methods developed for routine analysis of various analytes present in biological fluids. Section 3 deals with the applications of IC used in the understanding of ion chemistry of biological fluids. Specifically, it deals with the physical chemistry aspects related to nephrolithiasis and dental research, such as speciation, driving force for crystals formation and crystallization, and pathophysiology. Section 4 contains critical comments and concluding remarks.