COMPLEX-FORMING EQUILIBRIA IN ION CHROMATOGRAPHY

The role of complex-forming equilibria in the separation of metal cations using the methods of ion chromatography (IC), in particular the ion-exchange chromatography and ion-interaction chromatography, is discussed. Relationships describing the dependence of analyte retention on the composition of the mobile phase containing complexing ligands in the mobile phase are presented and the possibility of using these relationships and IC methods for examining the properties of complexes (determination of stability constants) is outlined, In addition to more recent papers, some studies that appeared before the introduction of IC are considered; a number of them may be helpful in understanding the retention mechanism and for the separation of metals with the aid of IC methods.