Study on the Simultaneous Determination of Pb and Cd in some Commercial Medicinal Plants by both Atomic Absorption and Voltametry Methods

Abstract

A simple method was developed for the quantification of Cd and Pb in herbal medicines by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) using a hanging mercury drop electrode. The sample preparation was performed by overnight acid digestion of 1.0 g of finely powdered plant tissue. The mixture was carefully heated for several hours. The voltametric method was shown to be useful and reliable for the control of contaminants in herbal medicines. The results also showed that the effect of interferences was higher in FAAS than in ASV method.

Keywords:

• Medicinal plants
• lead
• cadmium
• flame atomic absorption spectroscopy
• anodic stripping voltammetry
• polarography