We present the analysis of the X–ray data of the young active star HD 35850 obtained with ASCA and ROSAT .
Our main goal was to see if there is a difference in the elemental abundances of active stars between young and more evolved objects .
A two temperature plasma with subsolar abundances , of the order of Z = 0.15 - 0.3 , is required to fit the SIS spectra .
Similar results are obtained from a ROSAT PSPC observation .
Metal abundances of 0.2 – 0.4 the solar value are required to fit both the ASCA and ROSAT data together .
From a simultaneous SIS0+SIS1 spectral fit , with 2T plasma models and abundances free to vary in non-solar proportions , we find that , besides N , O and Ne for which we find very low values , all other elements have values relative to solar abundances around 0.2–0.3 .
These subsolar abundances are in line with those typically observed in more evolved , active stars like RS CVn and Algol–type binaries .

The two temperature values required to fit the ASCA SIS spectra are about 0.5 and 1.0 keV .
These temperatures , especially the higher one , are lower with respect to the values found for the RS CVn and Algol binaries or for the young star AB Dor , but higher than other single G/K stars .
All our data show that this single , late F–type star is actually a very active source , indirectly confirming that this fast rotating star is probably a young object .
In the simultaneous fit of the ASCA+ROSAT data , a third temperature is required .
However this is not just an addition of a softer component , but is more a redistribution of the dominant temperatures .
Indeed , the range spanned by the three temperatures , from 5 to 15 million degrees , is not very large .