ABSTRACT
The word speciation is borrowed from biological terminology. It derives from the Latin term species, which means species or species evolution (Florence et al. 1980). Speciation defi nes the occurrence of an element in various, clearly defi ned chemical forms. It has a qualitative sense. The term “speciation analysis” fi rst appeared in literature in 1993 and was described as “movement and transformation of element forms in the environment” (Forstner 1993). Even though it is comparatively expensive, speciation analysis has been gaining increasing importance. It is vital for both determining total content of elements and considering the forms in which those elements occur. It plays a signifi cant role in processes such as
Institute of Environmental Engineering of Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Skłodowska-Curie Street, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland. aEmail: michalski@ipis.zabrze.pl bEmail: mjablonska@ipis.zabrze.pl cEmail: sszopa@ipis.zabrze.pl *Corresponding author
studying biochemical cycles of specifi c chemical compounds; determining toxicity and ecotoxicity of elements; food and pharmaceuticals quality control; technological process control; health risk evaluation; and clinical analysis (Kot and Namieśnik 2000).
