Calibration of lithium, sodium, ammonium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and calcium using the partial loop technique and cation chromatography with direct conductivity detection. This technique allows a calibration range of 1:100 (e.g. 1 μg/L to 100 μg/L corresponding to 2 μL to 200 μL injected volume) out of 1 calibration solution. Applying the full range of partial loop injection to the samples one calibration covers a sample concentration range of 1 to 10'000 e.g. 2 μL of a 10 mg/L solution corresponds to the highest calibration level (100 μg/L) while 200 μL of a 1 μg/L solution corresponds to the lowest calibration level.