Determination of trace elements in licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra) naturally growing in diyarbakir region with spectroscopic methods

The aim of this study is to determine some trace elements (Cd, Pb, Ca, Mg, Cr, Mn, Ba, K, Na, Zn, Fe, Co, Mo, Se, P, Cu, Ni, Va) in licorice (Glycyrhiza glabra) naturally occurring in Diyarbakır region with spectrophotometric methods. The study was carried with plant samples collected from, Gaziantep (Oğuzeli-Yeşildere), Şanlıurfa (Birecik) and Diyarbakır (Karacadağ) provinces during 2011-2012. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-OES and ICP-MS) were used for the determination of trace elements in plant samples. Also, solubilization with microwave in a closed cup was used for the trace elements determination. In this study, the trace element determined the highest level in the licorice plan samples collected in elected regions is Na element with 50107,58± 22030,09 ppm mean, the lowest level element is Cd with 0.04 ± 0.01 ppm average. Co, Mo and Se elements were not detected in licorice plant collected from the study area. As a result, it has seen that the trace element level of the licorice samples collected from Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır region is higher than Gaziantep region. Key Words: Licorice, trace element, spectrophotometer