  Context: The comparison of coronal and photospheric abundances in cool stars
is an essential question to resolve. In the Sun an enhancement of the elements
with low first ionization potential (FIP) is observed in the corona with
respect to the photosphere. Stars with high levels of activity seem to show a
depletion of elements with low FIP when compared to solar standard values;
however the few cases of active stars in which photospheric values are
available for comparison lead to confusing results, and an enlargement of the
sample is mandatory for solving this longstanding problem. Aims: We calculate
in this paper the photospheric and coronal abundances of two well known active
binary systems, AR Psc and AY Cet, to get further insight into the
complications of coronal abundances. Methods: Coronal abundances of 9 elements
were calculated by means of the reconstruction of a detailed emission measure
distribution, using a line-based method that considers the lines from different
elements separately. Photospheric abundances of 8 elements were calculated
using high-resolution optical spectra of the stars. Results: The results once
again show a lack of any FIP-related effect in the coronal abundances of the
stars. The presence of metal abundance depletion (MAD) or inverse FIP effects
in some stars could stem from a mistaken comparison to solar photospheric
values, or from a deficient calculation of photospheric abundances in
fast-rotating stars. Conclusions: The lack of FIP fractionation seems to
confirm that Alfven waves combined with pondermotive forces are dominant in the
corona of active stars.
