In this short note, we show that measurements of acetate concentration
by ionic chromatography with a Dionex AS4A-SC column is prone to inte
rferences with lactate, glycolate, propionate and iodate. All the spec
ies can be present in environmental samples at significant concentrati
ons, as demonstrated with a surface snow sample collected in Greenland
. We indicate IC run conditions using a Dionex AS11 column that can ov
ercome this problem. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve
d.