Book excerpt: This three-volume handbook is the standard reference in the field, unparalleled in its comprehensiveness. It covers every conceivable topic related to the expanding and increasingly important field of ion chromatography. The fourth edition is completely updated and revised to include the latest developments in the instrumentation, now stretching to three volumes to reflect the current state of applications. Ion chromatography is one of the most widely used separation techniques of analytical chemistry with applications in fields such as medicinal chemistry, water chemistry and materials science. Consequently, the number of users of this method is continuously growing, underlining the need for an up-to-date reference. A true pioneer of this method, Joachim Weiss studied chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany), where he also received his PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry. In 2002, he did his habilitation in Analytical Chemistry at the Leopold-Franzens University in Innsbruck (Austria), where he is also teaching liquid chromatography. Since 1982, Dr. Weiss has worked at Dionex (now being part of Thermo Fisher Scientific), where he currently holds the position of Technical Director for Dionex Products within the Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Division (CMD) of Thermo Fisher Scientific, located in Dreieich (Germany).