Optical Emission Spectrometer Research Articles

Multi-element analysis of metals in human pathological and unchanged thyroid glands - pilot study.

Disturbances in the homeostasis of the elemental composition of thyroid tissue may have serious metabolic and health consequences. It is believed that the accumulation of some metals or the deficiency of others may even cause lethal tumours. Due to the fact that metallomics most often uses human serum to analyse macro and microelements as well as trace elements, it was decided to use material that is more difficult to obtain, but also adds credibility to the research - thyroid tissue samples biopsy. The experiments were conducted on 17 patients diagnosed with: nodular (10) and colloidal goitre (2), chronic thyroiditis (2), follicular adenoma (2) and papillary carcinoma (1). They were recruited by collecting a tumour fragment, control fragment and serum from each of them. The content of Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn was examined using ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometers). Simultaneously, biochemical methods were used to determine the markers of inflammation, glycation and peroxidation: malondialdehyde, pentosidine, reactive free amine content, compounds with thiol groups and galectin 3 in the sera of the examined patients. Three statistically significant correlations were identified: Ca-Mg and Cu-Zn in control tissues (p < 0.05) and Cr-Mn in pathological tissues (p < 0.05). A comparison of individual groups of patients shows that there are some potentail tendencies to increase or decrease in the concentration of certain elements or markers of inflammation and glycation, therefore we discuss potential relationships between a given parameter and a thyroid disorder. The pilot study is an introduction to a deeper analysis aimed at tracing the pathomechanism of the development of thyroid diseases, so that the risk of developing these diseases can be effectively minimized.

Determination of Element Concentration of Brewed Tea Consumed in Iran Using ICP-OES: A Risk Assessment Study.

Tea is a popular drink enjoyed by many people around the world. However, it is important to note that impurities and contaminants in tea can potentially threaten human health when consumed. The main objective of this research is to assess the concentration of 16 trace elements (As, Fe, Al, Co, B, Li, Cd, Ba, Pb, Cr, Zn, Hg, Ni, Mn, Sb, and Sn) present in different types brewed of tea by using the ICP-OES (the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer) device, and the human health risks related to its use were evaluated. In this study, manganese (Mn) indicated the highest mean concentration in black (917.64µg/kg) and green tea (912.89µg/kg), respectively. Our study showed that the highest mean concentration of element boron (B) was (44.36µg/kg) in Stachys lavandulifolia brewed tea. Among different packaging, tea bag samples had the highest concentration of Mn (1025.65µg/kg) and aluminum (Al) (396.63µg/kg). However, those unpacked posed the lowest content of Mn (188.13µg/kg) and Al (100.47µg/kg). The lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in all samples were lower than the maximum limit of the Iranian standard and the WHO. In general, the amount of tea metal in Iranian samples was higher than in imported samples. Also, increasing the brewing time (10 min) can be effective in the solubility and extraction of metals such as B, Hg, cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), and lithium (Li). Further, the correlation between the amount of metals and type in tea samples was evaluated with principal component analysis. Based on the conducted non-carcinogenic risk assessment by the Monte Carlo simulation, the hazard index (HI), due to ingestion of heavy metals via tea in the 5-min brewing of tea, was 7.39E - 03 and 2.09E - 03, and in the 10-min brewing of tea, it was 3.20E - 02 and 9.07E - 03 for children and adults, respectively. Therefore, there was no significant non-carcinogenic risk from tea consumption.

Level of Heavy Metals and Potential Ecological Risks in Irrigated Horticultural Farms in the Vicinity of Lake Ziway, Central Ethiopian Rift Valley Region.

Research on heavy metal pollution in horticultural farms located around lakes in the Central Ethiopian Rift Valley Region has focused on measuring the levels of heavy metals and their health implications. However, the ecological risks of horticultural farms contaminated with heavy metals in this region have not been studied. The current study addresses this gap by providing information on the degree of heavy metal contamination and the ecological risk associated with horticultural farms around Lake Ziway, using various pollution indices. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was used to measure the concentrations of nine heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Hg, and Zn) in a total of 30 composite soil and irrigation water samples, each consisting of a mix of six subsamples. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, and Zn in soils collected from all the sampling sites exceeded the FAO/WHO maximum permissible limit (MPL). The values of both the contamination factor (CF) and contamination degree (Cd) of the heavy metals ranged from 0.04 to 2.66 and 2.81 to 6.14, respectively, indicating a low to medium level of contamination for both indices. The pollution load index (PLI) values of 0.451, 0.449, and 0.157 for sites 2, 1, and 3, respectively, indicate "unpolluted" to "moderately polluted" levels of heavy metal pollution. However, the ecological risk indices (ERIs) at sites 2 and 1 (158.92 and 141, respectively) showed a potentially high ecological risk due to soil pollution. Therefore, close monitoring and early intervention mechanisms must be in place to control pollution in the study area.

Potential Utilization of Loess in Grouting Materials: Effects of Grinding Time and Calcination Temperature

Potential Utilization of Loess in Grouting Materials: Effects of Grinding Time and Calcination Temperature

Research and development activities to increase the performance of the CAPRICE ECRIS at GSI

At GSI the CAPRICE ECRIS is in operation to deliver high charge state ion beams from gaseous and metallic elements to the accelerator facility. A test campaign has been carried out at the ECR test bench to fulfill the demand for higher intensity and stability of high charge state ions and for mixed ion beams. The ion beam stability has been monitored by an Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES), which has been already used to check the plasma and the temperature of the resistively heated oven during metal ion beam operation, particularly for Ca ion beams. During the test campaign, it was investigated that the OES can be used for monitoring the stability of ion beams from gaseous elements and mixed ion beams, and the main achieved results are reported. The ion beams extracted from the ECRIS have been simulated with a particle tracking code in order to study and improve the beam matching into the RFQ. The preliminary results of the study together with possible modifications of the extraction column are presented.

Potassium release and mitigation by additives in different biomass combustion systems

Deposition formation on heat-exchanging surfaces and corrosion limit the use and efficiency of solid biomass combustion systems. The main influencing factors on these ash-related problems are the potassium content, the form in which the potassium is bound to the fuel matrix, and the temperature in the combustion system. To avoid these deposition problems, choosing the right fuel for a particular combustion system and vice versa is important.In this work, the temperature in fluidized bed, grate firing, and suspension combustion systems is analyzed by using the example of the power plants Altenstadt and Avedøre, as well as a European municipal solid waste incineration plant. Additionally, the temperature-resolved potassium release of ten different biofuels is analyzed in an electrothermal vaporization unit (ETV) connected to an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The potential of additives to mitigate the potassium release is analyzed by adding kaolin and coal fly ash to miscanthus, torrefied wood, and beechwood.The results show that hardly any potassium is released into the gas phase at the typical temperatures of fluidized bed systems. Most of the potassium release occurs between 1000 °C and 1400 °C, the typical temperature range of grate combustion systems. This shows that reducing the temperature of the fuel on the grate could drastically reduce the potassium release. However, due to the negative effect on the efficiency, other measures, such as using additives for capturing potassium species, are favored. At the temperatures in suspension-fired combustion systems, almost all potassium is released into the gas phase, and additives cannot mitigate the release at these temperatures. Additives can shift the potassium release of miscanthus and torrefied wood while showing no positive effect when mixed with beechwood.All in all, this work enables a quantitative comparison of various biofuels and a rough evaluation of the suitability of a fuel regarding the deposition formation for different combustion systems.

Utilizing phosphonyl carboxylic acid copolymer as an efficient depressant for flotation separation of chalcopyrite from galena: Experimental and DFT study

The research proposes an innovative galena depressant, known as Phosphonyl carboxylic acid copolymer (POCA), to enhance the efficiency of flotation separation between chalcopyrite and galena. Mineral flotation tests were conducted to investigate the flotation performance of chalcopyrite and galena. The inhibition mechanism of POCA on galena was studied using multiple characterization techniques including Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) testing, Zeta potential testing, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM) testing, contact angle testing, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the flotation test, at a concentration of 10 mg/L sodium butyl xanthate (SBX) and pH 9, adding 50 mg/L POCA can reduce the flotation recovery of galena from 83.50 % to below 5 %, whereas the recovery of chalcopyrite was almost influenced. The testing conducted via ICP-OES revealed that POCA promotes the dissolution of Pb2+ from the galena surface. The adsorption of POCA on the galena surface was confirmed through zeta potential testing, XPS testing, contact angle, AFM testing, and ToF-SIMS analysis, it was noted that POCA exhibited high levels of adsorption on the galena surface. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the chemical interaction between the sulfonic acid present in POCA and the Pb2+ active site of galena is regarded as the primary inhibition mechanism.

Effect of antenna helicity on discharge characteristics of helicon plasma under a divergent magnetic field

The characteristics of the blue core phenomenon observed in a divergent magnetic field helicon plasma are investigated using two different helical antennas, namely right-handed and left-handed helical antennas. The mode transition, discharge image, spatial profiles of plasma density and electron temperature are diagnosed using a Langmuir probe, a Nikon D90 camera, an intensified charge-coupled device camera and an optical emission spectrometer, respectively. The results demonstrated that the blue core phenomenon appeared in the upstream region of the discharge tube at a fixed magnetic field under both helical antennas. However, it is more likely to appear in a right-handed helical antenna, in which the plasma density and ionization rate of the helicon plasma are higher. The spatial profiles of the plasma density and electron temperature are also different in both axial and radial directions for these two kinds of helical antenna. The wavelength calculated based on the dispersion relation of the bounded whistler wave is consistent with the order of magnitude of plasma length. It is proved that the helicon plasma is part of the wave mode discharge mechanism.

Dried Blood Spots and Miniaturized Ultrasonic Nebulization Microplasma Optical Emission Spectrometry for Point-of-Care Testing of Blood Lithium.

Despite the significant importance of blood lithium (Li) detection in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD), its point-of-care testing (POCT) remains a great challenge due to tedious sample preparation and the use of large-footprint atomic spectrometers. Herein, a system coupling dried blood spots (DBS) with a point discharge optical emission spectrometer equipped with a miniaturized ultrasonic nebulizer (MUN-μPD-OES) was developed for POCT of blood Li. Three microliters of whole blood were used to prepare a dried blood spot on a piece of filter paper to which 10 μL of eluent (1% (v/v) formic acid and 0.05% (v/v) Triton-X) was added. Subsequently, the paper was placed onto the vibrating steel membrane of the ultrasonic nebulizer and powered on to generate aerosol. The aerosol was directly introduced to the μPD-OES for quantification of Li by monitoring its atomic emission line at 670.8 nm. The proposed method minimized matrix interference caused by high levels of salts and protein. It is worth noting that the MUN suitably matches the needs of DBS sampling and can provide aerosolized introduction of Li into the assembled μPD-OES, thus eliminating all tedious sample preparation and the need for a commercial atomic spectrometer. Calibration response is linear in the therapeutic range and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.3 μg L-1 is well below the Li minimum therapeutic concentration (2800 μg L-1). Li in mouse blood was successfully detected in real-time using MUN-μPD-OES after intraperitoneal injection of lithium carbonate, confirming that the system holds great potential for POCT of blood Li for patients with BD.

Potential Toxic Metal Concentration and Risk Assessment in Agricultural Soil and Lentil Crop (Lens culinaris Medik) in Dawunt Woreda, Northwest Wollo, Ethiopia

Health implications for the population due to consuming contaminated crops have been a great concern worldwide. This study aimed to measure the levels of potential toxic elements in lentils and their growing soil in Dawunt Woreda, Ethiopia. Accordingly, 15 soil samples along with the lentil samples were collected to measure the level of potential toxic elements, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and cobalt (Co), by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer and for assessing the potential ecological and human health risk. The wet digestion method using aqua regia (HCl/HNO3 3 : 1) was employed for soil and lentil sample preparation. The mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Cr in the lentil sample were 60.4, 9.68, 0.75, 5.7, 0.25, 0.9, and 1.15 mg/kg, respectively. In soil, the mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Cr were 649, 19.9, 3.32, 40.0, 15.2, 1.83, and 69.1 mg/kg, respectively. All of the potential toxic metals in agricultural soil and lentil samples were found to be below the reference level set by the World Health Organization, except Cd, in the soil samples. Five single metal and three cumulative pollution index parameters were employed for the data and results showed that Fe, Cu, and Cr moderately pollute the soil and are highly contaminated by Cd. The cumulative pollution indices also confirmed that the extent of soil pollution varied from highly contaminated to moderate contamination. The possible health risks at various exposure routes have also been estimated. The single-metal and cumulative-metals health risks (cancer and noncancer) of adults and children due to chronic exposure to soil and consumption of lentils were estimated using the health quotient and health index values as per the United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Thus, the results revealed no significant adverse health risks (cancer and noncancer) for adults and children. Therefore, the inhabitants in the study area have no significant health impacts due to either the consumption of lentil crops or exposure to agricultural soil particles.

Impacts of solid waste management site on some toxic elements contamination of the surrounding soil in Akure, Nigeria

The distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr), their potential bioavailability, extent of contamination and potential risk of dumpsite and surrounding soil samples were appraised. Three (3) soil samples were collected randomly from within the dumpsite and three (3) soil samples were also obtained 50 m away from the perimeter fence of the dumpsite. PTEs in the bulk and fractionated portions were determined using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the concentrations of all the PTEs analysed were higher in the dumpsite soil samples than the surrounding samples, suggesting an impact of the dumpsite activities on the soil. The distribution of PTEs varied significantly within the different fractions of both the surrounding and dumpsite soils and their presence were more of anthropogenic than geogenic. The calculated contamination factor/pollution load index (CF/PLI) revealed that the surrounding soil samples fell within the range of moderate contamination, except for Cu and Cr which showed very high contamination. Cd showed the highest value (60.4) for potential ecological risk index (PERI) at the surrounding area. However, the value of Cd in the surrounding soil samples indicated a low ecological risk. The total concentrations of the PTEs were lower than their corresponding target values for both national and international standards, except for Cd (0.15 mg/kg) and Cu (37.3 mg/kg). The study concluded that the dumping of various wastes at the dumpsite was found to be a contributing factor to PTEs contamination of soil at the study area. Hence, an engineered landfill for Akure metropolis is recommended to replace the existing practice.

Heavy Metal Accumulation in Three Varieties of Mustard Grown under Five Soil Management Practices

Heavy metal pollution represents a global health issue. Different methods and technologies are adopted to mitigate the problem of heavy metal pollution. Phytoremediation has been gaining attention as an environmentally friendly method to remediate this problem. The purpose of this research is to explore the effectiveness of phytoremediation in agricultural settings to assess the effect of five soil management practices (chicken manure, sewage sludge, leaf compost, cow manure, and vermicompost) on Cd, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn accumulation in the mustard (leaves and pods) of three mustard Brassica juncea varieties (black mustard, yellow mustard, and mighty mustard). The accumulation in mustard was quantified using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). The results showed that the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of the three mustard varieties exceeded one (BAF &gt; 1) for Cd and Mo. It indicates that mustard is a good accumulator of Cd and Mo, whereas BAF values for Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn were less than one (BAF &lt; 1). The accumulated Cu, Mo, Ni, and Zn levels were below the allowable limit, whereas the Cd and Pb levels were beyond the limit. This result indicates that the investigated mustard varieties can be grown on heavy metal polluted sites for Cd and Mo phytoremediation purposes, but care is needed with regard to Cd and Mo toxicity.

Закономерности в распределении химических элементов в листьях березы

The biological activity of medicinal plant raw materials and herbal remedies is due to a complex of biologically active substances and chemical elements. The study of the influence of growth conditions on the composition and content of chemical elements in medicinal plants and medicinal plant raw materials is relevant. Of particular interest is the study of patterns in the distribution of chemical elements in medicinal plants, medicinal plant raw materials and the possibility of using the identified patterns to establish the authenticity and purity of raw materials. Birch leaves collected in an ecologically clean area and in areas with varying degrees of anthropogenic load were studied. The composition and content of elements were analyzed by ICP-MS (ELAN DRC-e ICP-MS mass spectrometer, Agilent 715 ICP-OES optical emission spectrometer). Statistical processing of the results of chemical analysis was carried out in Microsoft ® Excel 2010. The concentrations of 60 elements were compared using the least squares method. A comparative analysis of the logarithms of concentrations in birch leaves collected from growing areas that differ in the degree of anthropogenic load showed a strong correlation between them (r = 0.99; R2 = 0.9). A diagram showing the periodic dependence of the logarithm of the concentrations of chemical elements represents the elemental profile of birch leaves and can be usedto determine their authenticity and purity.

Effects of Al and Si elements on oxidation behavior in 1000–1200 °C steam for PEO/CrAlSi composite coating on Zr alloy

A PEO/CrAlSi composite coating of ~10 μm thick on Zr–2 alloy was prepared by duplex plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and filtered cathode vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) techniques. The high temperature steam oxidation behavior of bare and PEO/CrAlSi–coated Zr alloys was performed in 1000–1200 °C. Their morphologies, microstructures, compositions and phase components were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X–ray diffraction (XRD) and glow discharge optical emission spectrometer (GDOES). The effects of Al and Si elements on multilayers microstructure evolution of coated Zr–2 alloy at steam atmosphere were discussed. It was found that the composite coating significantly improved the high–temperature steam oxidation resistance of Zr–2 alloy. The mass gains of the PEO/CrAlSi–coated Zr–2 alloy after 3600 s exposure in 1000 °C, 1100 °C and 1200 °C steam were 28 %, 29 % and 44 % of the bare alloy. Through the oxidations, Al diffused both inward and outward to the substrate and the surface regions, respectively. Formation of a top oxide layer (Al2O3, Cr2O3) greatly suppressed the inward oxygen diffusion. The Si enrichment in the PEO interlayer formed a Zr2Si layer, which inhibited the Cr-Zr interdiffusion at 1000 °C and 1100 °C. At 1200 °C, the Zr2Si layer was oxidized and the CrZr2 phase was formed in the Zr alloy substrate especially at the β–Zr/α–Zr(O) interface.

Assessment of Potential Human Health Risk Associated With Heavy Metals in Soil – Vegetables System Irrigated by Rift Valley Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

Metal contamination of vegetables is a major concern, especially in areas where irrigation has been used for a long time. The Central Ethiopian Rift Valley Region is highly affected due to the heavy use of agrochemicals throughout the year. Although some studies have been conducted on the concentration and level of heavy metal pollution, little attention has been paid to their impact on human health. This study determined the concentrations of nine metals (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in a soils and vegetables (tomatoes and onions) irrigated by Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was used to determine the heavy metal levels. Moreover, the study evaluated the health risks associated with consuming contaminated vegetables by employing major indices, including non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. The results showed that the mean concentrations of Pb, As, Hg, and Cr in all tomato and onion samples and the average Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg levels in all soil samples exceeded the FAO/WHO threshold. Non-carcinogenic health risk estimates showed that As, Pb, Hg, and Co for children and Pb and Co for adults had THQ values greater than 1, indicating the possibility of systemic health risks. Carcinogenic health risk showed that Ni posed a risk of developing cancer for both adults and children, with values ranging from 10−3 to 10−1. In addition, children are likely to have a higher cancer risk due to exposure to As and Cr. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness among stakeholders and implement effective monitoring policies to safeguard public health both within and beyond the study area.

Machine Learning-Assisted Portable Microplasma Optical Emission Spectrometer for Food Safety Monitoring.

To meet the needs of food safety for simple, rapid, and low-cost analytical methods, a portable device based on a point discharge microplasma optical emission spectrometer (μPD-OES) was combined with machine learning to enable on-site food freshness evaluation and detection of adulteration. The device was integrated with two modular injection units (i.e., headspace solid-phase microextraction and headspace purge) for the examination of various samples. Aromas from meat and coffee were first introduced to the portable device. The aroma molecules were excited to specific atomic and molecular fragments at excited states by room temperature and atmospheric pressure microplasma due to their different atoms and molecular structures. Subsequently, different aromatic molecules obtained their own specific molecular and atomic emission spectra. With the help of machine learning, the portable device was successfully applied to the assessment of meat freshness with accuracies of 96.0, 98.7, and 94.7% for beef, pork, and chicken meat, respectively, through optical emission patterns of the aroma at different storage times. Furthermore, the developed procedures can identify beef samples containing different amounts of duck meat with an accuracy of 99.5% and classify two coffee species without errors, demonstrating the great potential of their application in the discrimination of food adulteration. The combination of machine learning and μPD-OES provides a simple, portable, and cost-effective strategy for food aroma analysis, potentially addressing field monitoring of food safety.

Dissolution behavior of chromite mineral impurities in raw materials of glass production using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy methods

Silica sand is an essential raw material for glass production. The specification of silica sand for each type of glass is the most important point, such as chemical purity, grain size, grain shape, and their impurities. Some of the impurities in the sand can be eliminated by processing yet some cannot be avoided. This paper indicates that as an impurity in the sand, chromite minerals dissolve in glass. 0.200 mm and 0.250 mm grain size chromite minerals were observed grain size change at 1350 °C − 1400 °C − 1450 °C. With increasing in temperature, the rate of size change in the grain diameter increased. Because of the chemical composition of chromite mineral, with increasing temperature, first of all, aluminum and magnesium content start to dissolve in soda lime silicate glass. Then, chromium content transforms into chromium oxide. The transformation rate depends on the mineral composition as well as the temperature and the residence time in the furnace. This paper concerns the chemical composition of the chromite by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer, the compositions of the raw material analyzed with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer and chromite characteristics analyzed by Raman Spectroscopy methods.

Recovery of cathode materials from waste lithium iron phosphate batteries through ultralow temperature treatment and mechanical separation

ABSTRACT Waste lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries consist of various of metallic and nonmetallic materials, with lithium being a critical strategic resource in the new energy era. Therefore, recycling LFP batteries has become a primary means of secondary lithium resource recovery. However, the presence of the strong binder polyvnylidene fluoride during the recycling process hinders the efficient recovery and separation of cell materials. This study proposes an innovative approach for recovery, involving ultralow temperature treatment and mechanical separation. In the experimental setup, the ultralow temperature treatment temperature at −140°C for 120 min, followed by 20 s of crushing, resulted in an impressive 96.5% dissociation rate of the cathode material and a purity of 94.2% for lithium iron phosphate. The physical and chemical changes in the cathode materials before and after ultralow temperature treatment were examined using differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). This method has the advantages of low cost, high efficiency, high environmental affinity and no additional products.

Geographical origin discrimination of Anisodus tanguticus (Maxim.): Chemometrics methods applied to ICP-OES analysis

Anisodus tanguticus (Maxim.) Pascher, which is an important species used in traditional Tibetan medicine, is grown on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. A quantitative analysis of 18 elements in A. tanguticus and the soil was conducted using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. The elemental contents of A. tanguticus underwent principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Furthermore, elemental accumulation and elemental transfer coefficients were calculated, and the correlation between environmental factors and elemental content was further explored. The multivariate statistical results indicated that A. tanguticus plants can be distinguished by their geographical origin. Elemental accumulation and transfer patterns differed significantly among the analysed elements. Some positive or negative correlation relationships were found between environmental factors and contents in root parts of A. tanguticus. The present study provides an efficient and practical method to discriminate the geographical origin of A. tanguticus from different regions.

Determination of heavy metals concentration in commercial green tea samples by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES)

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages across the world as it refreshes their psychic health rejuvenating them from stress. The aim of the present work is to determine the heavy metals and physicochemical parameters present in green tea (GT) made from major brands available in the local Indian market, more specifically heavy metals Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn). A total of four samples were investigated with the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). Arsenic concentration was not detected in any one of the samples. Cr concentration was found to be the same in all the samples at a very low concentration of 0.001mg kg-1, Cd concentration varies from 0.04 to 0.07 mg kg-1, Pb concentration varies from 0.03 to 0.08 mg kg-1, Se concentration varies from 0.068 to 0.098 mg kg-1 and Zn concentration varies from 9.45 to 18.16 mg kg-1 respectively and their concentration levels are below the permissible limits of WHO. The concentrations of present anion groups like SO42-, S2-, NO3-, NO2-, PO43- and NH3 in the selected samples were high and might affect the health of the consumers of green tea.