Manganese is one of the most frequently used materials in industry, hence its elevated levels in the surrounding environment. Manganese is an essential nutrient, important in biochemical reactions of several enzymes; on the other hand, it can cause both acute and chronic diseases (eg. manganism). The importance of manganese in living systems remains poorly explored. Manganese compounds share with certain other elements the property of being essential for life, but certain manganese species and large doses are toxic. Manganese plays an important role in iron metabolism and is required for the brain’s normal function. Chemical speciation is an important subject in the environmental protection as well as in toxicological and analytical research because toxicity, availability and reactivity of trace elements depend on the chemical forms in which they occur. This study deals with effects of manganese and manganese speciation forms on living organisms, particularly in aquatic environments. The review presents manganese speciation methods using sophisticated hyphenated techniques.The hyphenated techniques, in which a separation method is coupled with multi-dimensional detectors, have become a useful alternative. These techniques allow for a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample composition, wherein manganese may be present in various speciation forms. The article provides many examples of the hyphenated technique application in manganese speciation analysis.

20(4)2015