Analysis of metals and persistent organic pollutants in ethyl acetate extract of Peltophorum africanum

Abstract

This study was aimed to analyze the metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulated in the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of Peltophorum africanum a medicinal plant commonly used in South Africa. Metal analysis revealed the presence of aluminum (Al) [17.2%], chlorine (Cl) [2.7%], sodium (Na) [5.7%], nitrogen (N) [1.3%], sulphur (S) [3.0 ], carbon (C) [6.5%], oxygen (O) [6.5%], titanium (Ti) [6.1%], silicon (Si) [17.2%], gold (Au) [15.9%], copper (Cu) [2.9%], zinc (Zn) [3.0%], and potassium (K) [4.3%]. The functional group of phosphorus-oxy (P=O); halogenated compounds (C-F, C-Cl), thiols and thio-substituted (C-S/C-I, S-S/ClCN) organic pollutants with the frequency wavelength range of 420.23–1287.62 cm^-1 were identified. Colchicine, n-hexadecanoic acid, lanosta, nitroanthraquinone, stigmasterol, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, and ferrocene were also detected with percentage quantity of 0.4, 6.4, 2.9, 0.2, 1.6, 0.6 and 0.1% respectively. Some of the metals and POPs identified from the EAE of Peltophorum africanum in this study have been linked or associated with various human health risks.