PIXE TECHNIQUE: A HANDY TOOL FOR INVESTIGATION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOME ANTI DIABETIC MEDICINAL PLANTS

Abstract

Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique was employed to determine the elemental concentration in leaves of 5 medicinal plants used in the
treatment of diabetes mellitus. The samples were exited using a 2 MeV proton beam obtained from 3 MeV pelletron accelerator at IOP, Bhubaneswar,
India. The plant species were found to contain reasonable amounts of potassium and calcium along with other trace elements su ch as Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe,
Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, and Sr. The element vanadium was found in only one sample. All the samples under study contained very small amounts of chromium
and lead. It is found that the concentration of the same element varies considerably with respect to conditions in which they grow.