Identification and quantification of inorganic and organic selenium compounds with highperformance liquid chromatography

Selenium appears in the natural selenium cycle in the form of several organic and inorganic compounds. The biologically beneficial and deterimental effects of ‘selenium’ must be ascribed to particular selenium compounds. The identification and quantification of selenium compounds in biological and environmental samples is required for an understanding of the role of selenium. The high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) methods for the separation, identification and quantification of selenite, selenate, hydrogen selenide, methaneselenol, bis(organothio) selenides, trimethylselenonium salts, selenonamino-acids, selenium derivatives of carbohydrates, selenoproteins, selenonucleosides and other miscellaneous selenium compounds are summarized (193 references) and pertinent detection modes discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of the methods are pointed out. The literature is covered since 1974, the year of the first publication in this field.