Pharmacopeial tests for heavy metals require comparisons between test solution’s colour after addition of thioacetamide and a control solution containing a known quantity of Pb. As this test neither informs about the type of heavy metals, nor about the concentrations of each of them, there is a reason for more frequent employment of instrumental methods such as AAS and AES, as well as ICP, NAA, and X-ray fluorescence. These methods provide us with quick and exact elemental analyses of impurities, thus becoming more and more important in the quality control of drugs and medicinal plants.

        Key words: heavy metals – limit tests for heavy metals – AAS – ICP – X-ray fluorescence spectrometry