*Corresponding author e-mail: vileriz@abv.bg
Comparative research has been conducted to determine the content of toxic elements and the chemical composition of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) essential oils, as well as to identify the possibility of tansy growth on soils contaminated by toxic elements. The field experiment was performed in agricultural field contaminated by the Non-Ferrous-Metal works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The essential oils were extracted from the leaves and inflorescences of the plant by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. Tansy is a plant tolerant of toxic elements and can be grown on contaminated soils. The Pb, Cd and Hg concentration in essential oils was recorded below the permissible limits for pharmaceutical purposes. Twenty-two components were identified, representing 98.13-98.88% of the leaves essential oil and 98.49-98.88% of the inflorescences essential oil of the total oil components. Oxygen-containing monoterpenes (80.6785.25%) were predominated in the tansy essential oil, followed by oxygen-containing sesquiterpenes (8.66-12.08%) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (1.12-1.50%). Aliphatic hydrocarbon (n-undecane, 2%) was also present in the essential oils. The essential oil obtained from inflorescences and leaves of tansy had the same dominant components of trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (46.96-50.89%), trans-thujone (14.45-20.8%), trans-carveol acetate (3.91-6.01%), spathulenol (4.21-5.63%) and α-cadinol (3.77-5.83%). The analyzed essential oils belong to the trans-chrysanthenyl acetate chemotype.
Essential oil composition, Toxic elements, Polluted soils, Tansy
