Polarographic study of the complexation between the chemical constituents of Phragmites australis and heavy metals

The interaction between the chemical constituents of Phragmites australis (Reeds) and metal ions has been investigated. Complexation reactions between the three constituents of the plant: butanolic extract, tricin-7-O- beta -D-glucopyranoside and tricin with Pb(II) and Cd(II) were studied using differential pulse polarography. It was found that Pb(II) and Cd(II) form 1:2 complexes with each of the three constituents. The high conditional formation constants indicate that the removal of heavy metals from wastewater using Phragmites australis might be due to complex formation between the metal ions and flavonoid glycosides present in the plant.