Chemical Speciation of Organic and Inorganic components of Environmental and Biological Interest in Natural Fluids

Download or read book Chemical Speciation of Organic and Inorganic components of Environmental and Biological Interest in Natural Fluids written by Francesco Crea and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-03-25 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) defines the term “speciation” as the distribution of an element amongst defined chemical species in a system, while the process leading to quantitative estimation of the content of different species is called speciation analysis. The chemical speciation of elements in natural waters and biological fluids is a key topic, essential for discussing the chemical reactivity of constituents in these systems. It is well understood that it is the chemical form of a metal or metalloids that determines its reactivity, lifetime, and fate in the environment. Chemical speciation now involves various sectors of the sciences, from chemistry to biology, biochemistry, and environmental sciences, since—as is well known—the total concentration, alone, of an inorganic or organic component (metal or ligand) in a multicomponent natural system (fresh water, sea water, biological fluids, soil, etc.) is insufficient for a comprehensive understand of its behavior in those contests.