DETERMINATION AND STATISTICAL-ANALYSIS OF TRACE-ELEMENT AND ACTIVE CONSTITUENT CONCENTRATIONS IN THE MEDICINAL PLANT EUCALYPTUS CAMALDULENSIS-DEHNH (E ROSTRATUS SCHLECHT)

In the leaves of the medicinal plant Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh (E . rostratus Schlecht) collected from different sampling areas of Greec e the trace elements antimony, cesium, chromium, cobalt, iron, europiu m, rubidium, scandium, strontium, thorium and zinc were determined by instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. In the same samples, the ess ential oil was determined by steam distillation and the percent relati ve composition of the essential oil in 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, alpha-pi nene by gas liquid chromatography. Also the refractive index of the es sential oil was determined by a refractometer. Statistical analysis in cluded the calculation of the correlation coefficient. Multiple correl ation and cluster analysis was applied to all analytical data. The res ults showed that the trace elements iron, chromium, cobalt and zinc ar e correlated with the variation of the concentration of essential oil in the examined plant. These four elements along with rubidium and ess ential oil content could be used for the separation of the samples int o groups related to the sampling areas. Statistically significant corr elation between active constituents and some trace elements and a line ar negative correlation between 1,8-cineole and refractive index were found.