| Abstract: | A novel method for the indirect determination of sodium cefotaxime by the extraction‐flotation of cuprous thiocyanate is described in this paper. The experiment indicated that the degradation of sodium cefotaxime took place in the presence of 0.20 M sodium hydroxide in a boiling water bath for 40 min. At pH 4.0, the thiol group (‐SH) of the degradation product of sodium cefotaxime could reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I) for the formation of the emulsion CuSCN precipitation in the presence of ammonium thiocyanate. By determining the residual amount of Cu(II) in the solution and calculating the flotation yield of CuSCN, the indirect determination of sodium cefotaxime can be achieved. When the concentration of Cu(II) was 5.0 μg mL?1, a good linear relationship was obtained between the flotation yield of CuSCN and the amount of sodium cefotaxime in the range of 0.50～20 μg mL?1. The linear equation is E = 1.329 + 2.654C with a correlation coefficient r = 0.9988. The detection limit of sodium cefotaxime of this proposed method evaluated by calibration curve (3σ/k) was found to be 0.39 μg mL?1. Every parameter has been optimized and the reaction mechanism has been studied. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of sodium cefotaxime in pharmaceutical formulations, human serum, and urine samples, respectively. Analytical results obtained with this novel method are satisfactory. |
