In this context, we discuss state-of-the-art instrumentation for sample preconcentration, analyte separation and detection. We could observe several prominent trends: the common use of liquid chromatography (LC) to allow separation of CECs (instead of gas chromatography); the development and the application of multi-class methods; and, the increasing popularity of high-resolution, full-scan analysis, combined with a trend towards the use of sub-2-¦Ìm-particle sizes and high flow rates (ultra-high-performance LC).
Overall, due to the recent advances in instrumentation, we could see significant progress in the analytical chemistry of CECs in environmental matrices.