Abstract: Platinum group metals (PGMs) present a variety of forms in the environment, and analysis of speciation is essential for identifying their ecological risk. Here, we reviewed the methods for the morphological analysis of three major PGMs (platinum, palladium and rhodium) in the environment, including chemical sequential extraction, hyphenated techniques for instruments, computer simulations. We outlined the types, characteristics and applications of these methods, elaborated the weaknesses, and provided prospects for future development. Among them, chemical sequential extraction is universally applied in the morphological analysis of solid-phase samples, with diverse extraction conditions and procedures proposed in the current study. However, it has not been well standardized. The hyphenated techniques for instruments have significant advantages for the determination of elemental forms in solution, of which capillary electrophoresis system can separate similar substances with the same electrophoresis ability. Liquid chromatography systems have better performance in terms of separation capacity and detection limit. The computer simulations further expand the access to morphological analysis, enabling complex morphological calculations. It was proposed to combine multiple methods in the future to continuously improve the accuracy of analytical techniques by complementing and optimizing each other.

Key words: platinum group metals (PGMs), morphological analysis, hyphenated technique, computer modelling, chemical sequential extraction