Inorganic analysis of herbal drugs. Part II. Plant and soil analysis – diverse bioavailability and uptake of essential and toxic elements

Eleven elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, Ni, Cd, Pb and Cr) in seven herbal drugs (Salviae folium, Menthae piperitae folium, Melissae folium, Lavandulae flos, Basilici herba, Marubii herba and Origani herba) and in rhizosphere soil samples were determined. Amicrowave digestion procedure preceded the measurements by the flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques (FAAS, ETAAS). For potentially hazardous elements and their bioavailability, BCF values were also calculated and discussed in order to identify possible sources of specific elements

Inorganic analysis of herbal drugs. Part I. Metal determination in herbal drugs originating from medicinal plants of the family Lamiacae

Elemental profiles of the total analyte content ofmajor, minor and trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, Al, Ba and B) in 8 herbal drugs, originating from medicinal plants of the family Lamiacae, were determined. Flame atomic absorption/emission spectroscopy (FAAS/FAES), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) were applied, and the advantages and limitations of these techniques are also discussed. The whole procedure, from sample preparation via dissolution to the actual measurements, was validated by using CRM (NIST 1573a – Tomato leaves). The recovery values obtained were in the range 90.64 – 101.58 %. A high degree of similarity in their elemental profiles was noticed from the results of qualitative analysis, while quantitative analysis shows significant diversity due to the variety of the influencing sources. The medicinal plants investigated in this work contained Cu (5.92–14.79 mg kg-1), Zn (15.0 – 43.0 mg kg-1), Mn (25 – 111 mg kg-1), Fe (74 – 546 mg kg-1), K (1.80 – 6.24 %), Ca (0.90 – 1.43 %), Mg (0.17 – 0.67 %), Al (49 – 378 mg kg-1), Ba (15.53 – 69.84 mg kg-1) and B (34.7 – 56.5 mg kg-1)

Kinetic study of the reaction between sodium chloroacetate and potassium ethylxanthogenate

The reaction kinetics of the synthesis of sodium ethyl xanthogeneacetate from potassium ethylxanthogenate and sodium chloroacetate in distilled water as the reaction medium at 25, 30, 35 and 40 °C, were investigated. The obtained reaction mixture was a complex system which demanded the use of two methods for the kinetic measurements. The reaction was followed using the conductrometric and UV/Vis spectrophotometric method with equimolar initial concentrations of the reactants and under pseudo-first order conditions with respect to one of the reactants. The rate constants of the pseudo-first order and second order reactions were calculated from the data. On the basis of the reaction constants, the activation parameters were calculated and are discussed

Lead isotope ratios as tool for elucidation of chemical environment in a system of Macrolepiota procera (Scop.) Singer-soil

The analysis of isotope ratios of lead in the mushrooms and soil, where they were grown, assisted with a principal component analysis, offered a new perspective for understanding possible chemical environment in a real setup of those compartments. The content of lead and its isotope compositions were determined in soil samples and mushroom Macrolepiota procera from unpolluted area of Mountain Goc, Serbia. Sequential extraction procedure based on the Commission of the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) was applied on soil samples in order to determine the distribution of lead in the labile and un-labile fractions of the soil. Caps and stipes of mushrooms were subjected to microwave acid-assisted digestion prior to measurements by inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometer for determination of lead content and lead isotope ratios. Information about the chemical fractionation of Pb in soil, Pb isotopic data from soil fractions and fruiting bodies allowed a more detailed insight on the uptake mechanisms. Lead was predominantly associated with reducible fraction (similar to 60%). Only its small portion (similar to 1%) was present in the exchangeable and acid-extractable fractions suggesting the low mobility of Pb. Lead isotope analysis revealed the presence of anthropogenic lead in the surface soil. Significant lower Pb-206/Pb-207 compared with other fractions was found in exchangeable and acid-soluble fraction (1.331 +/- 0.010), which corresponds to the isotope ratio of European gasoline. The highest Pb-206/Pb-207 ratio was observed in reducible fraction (1.162 +/- 0.007), while in oxidizable and residual fraction, those values were similar (1.159 +/- 0.006 and 1.159 +/- 0.004, respectively). Distinction of exchangeable and acid-extractable fractions from others was also confirmed, for the first time, by principal component analysis. The analysis of four isotope ratios (Pb-206/Pb-207, Pb-208/Pb-206, Pb-206/Pb-204, and Pb-207/Pb-204) indicated that the analyzed M. procera accumulates lead from the first two fractions of topsoil layers

Metals and organic compounds in the biosynthesis of cannabinoids: a chemometric approach to the analysis of <i>Cannabis sativa</i> samples

<div><p>Illicit production and trade of <i>Cannabis sativa</i> affect many societies. This drug is the most popular and easy to produce. Important information for the authorities is the production locality and the indicators of a particular production. This work is an attempt to recognise correlations between the metal content in the different parts of<i> C. sativa</i> L., in soils where plants were cultivated and the cannabinoids content, as a potential indicator. The organic fraction of the leaves of <i>Cannabis</i> plants was investigated by GC-FID analysis. In addition, the determination of Cu, Fe, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ca and Mg was realised by spectroscopic techniques (FAAS and GFAAS). In this study, numerous correlations between metal content in plants and soil, already confirmed in previous publications, were analysed applying chemometric unsupervised methods, that is, principal component analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis, in order to highlight their role in the biosynthesis of cannabinoids.</p></div