Ion Chromatographic Determination of Traces of Sodium,Magnesium and Chlorine in Gadolinium Nitrate

Abstract

Two independent and sensitive ion chromatographic methods with suppressed conductivity were developed for determination of traces of Cl, Na, and Mg in gadolinium-nitrate. Na-Mg was determined by cation-exchange column after matrix separation, whereas Cl was analyzed without matrix separation by high capacity anion-exchange column. Detection limit for Cl was 0.01 µg mL^?1 in sample solution and 1 µg g^?1 in solid sample. The reproducibility (100 µL injected) was better than 3%, 3% and 4% at 50, 25 and 50 µg L^?1 level for Cl, Na, and Mg respectively. The overall precision was better than ±7% for Na-Mg and ±5% for Cl.     

Comparison of Ion-Pairing and Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography in Determination of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim

Abstract

Two simple, rapid, and sensitive HPLC methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in their pure and dosage forms, one utilizing reversed phase HPLC and the other ion-pair HPLC. In the reversed phase HPLC method (A) the mobile phase consists of 0.05% aqueous solution of formic acid with pH adjusted to 4.5±0.2 with triethylamine : acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran 50 : 49 : 1 (v/v), and the mobile phase pumped at flow rate of 1.0 ml min^?1. An Appolo LC18 column (5.0 µm), 250 mm length × 4.6 mm diameter, was utilized as the stationary phase. Detection was affected spectrophotometrically at 254 nm. In the ion-pair HPLC method (B) the mobile phase consisted of methanol : buffer 35 : 65 (v/v) with the buffer composed of potassium dihydrogen phosphate 0.3 M and sodium heptan sulfonic acid 5.0 mM. To 500 ml of buffer was added 2.0 ml triethylamine, and then the pH was adjusted to 5.0 with phosphoric acid, and the mobile phase was pumped at a flow rate of 1.2 ml min^?1. A Hypersil C₁₈ column (5.0 µm), 150 mm length × 4.6 mm diameter, was utilized as the stationary phase. Detection was affected spectrophotometrically at 254 nm. Linearity ranges for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim were 1.0–110 and 1.5–98 µg ml^?1, respectively, with method A and 0.5–100 and 1.0–125 µg ml^?1, respectively, with method (B). Minimum detection limits obtained were 0.1969 and 0.3451 µg ml^?1 for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, respectively, with method A, and 0.1377 and 0.2454 µg ml^?1 with method (B). The proposed methods were further applied to the analysis of tablets containing the two drugs, and the results were satisfied.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Some Fluoroquinolone Derivatives in Dosage Forms and Biological Fluids Using Ion‐Pair Complex Formation

Abstract

A simple, rapid, sensitive, and reproducible procedure for assaying norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and ofloxacin (OFL) was investigated. The procedure is based on the reaction of selected drugs with Sudan II (I), Congo red (II), and Gentian violet (III) in universal buffer to give soluble ion‐pair complexes. The effects of various parameters have been studied. Beer's law plots were obeyed in the concentration ranges 0.5–11 µg ml^?1, whereas Ringbom optimum ranges were 0.7–9.5 µg ml^?1. The apparent molar absorptivity (6.4×10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1), Sandell sensitivity (4.99 ng cm^?2), detection (0.13 µg ml^?1), and quantification (0.44 µg ml^?1) limits were calculated. The relative standard deviation for ten determinations, for samples containing 4.0 µg ml^?1, was found to be 1.40%. The influence of commonly employed excipients in the determination of the studied drugs was examined. There was no interference from degradate product results from thermal and hydrolytic treatments. The results obtained by the proposed procedure were statistically validated. The developed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of the studied drugs in dosage forms and biological fluids.     

Flow-Injection Analysis Based on Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Penicillins with Thiazine Dyes

Abstract

A new method for flow-injection analysis (FIA) for the determination of penicillins based on the extraction and spectrophotometric determination of ion associates with selected thiazine dyes (methylene blue, azure A, and azure B) is proposed. The reaction conditions (c_dye = 2 × 10^?4 mol l^?1, c_KCl = 1 mol l^?1, pH ? 6, λ = 635 nm) were found. The factorial design has been carried out to determine the optimum flow conditions. A wide linear dynamic range of calibration curves (5.1–700 µg ml^?1 for penicillin V with all dyes, R = 0.9985) and good repeatability (e.g., relative standard deviation [RSD] = 4.6–0.6% in this concentration range for the reaction with azure B) were found. The detection limit for penicillin V is 1.5 µg ml^?1, and the determination limit is 5.1 µg ml^?1. The maximum analysis rate is 35 samples per h. The practical samples of pharmaceutics were tested. There are no interferences from the additives in pharmaceutics.     

A New Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Arsenic in Environmental and Biological Samples

Abstract

A simple and selective spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic using azure B as a chromogenic reagent. The proposed method is based on the reaction of arsenic(III) with potassium iodate in acid medium to liberate iodine. The liberated iodine bleaches the violet color of azure B and is measured at 644 nm. This decrease in absorbance is directly proportional to the As(III) concentration, and Beer's law is obeyed in the range 0.2–10 µg ml^?1 of As(III). The molar absorptivity, Sandell's sensitivity, detection limit, and quantitation limit of the method were found to be 1.12×10⁴ l mol^?1cm^?1, 6.71×10^?3 µg cm^?2, 0.02 µg ml^?1 and 0.08 µg ml^?1, respectively. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters were evaluated. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the determination of arsenic in various environmental and biological samples.     

Abilities of Partial Least‐Squares (PLS‐2) Multivariate Calibration in the Analysis of Quaternary Mixture of Food Colors (E‐110, E‐122, E‐124, E‐131)

Abstract

Sunset Yellow (SY), Carmoisine (C), Ponceau 4R (P), and Patent Blue V (PB) are synthetic organic dyes which are under governmental regulations all over the world because of their toxicity and carcinogenicity.

In this study, a simple and fast analytical procedure was proposed for the simultaneous determination of food dyes (SY, C, P, and PB) in powder drinks by means the partial least‐square treatment of spectrophotometric absorbance between 450 –730 nm, taken at 10 nm intervals. The experimental calibration matrix was constructed with 27 samples. The concentration ranges considered were 2, 3, 4 µg · ml^?1 for SY, 7, 8, 9 µg · ml^?1 for C, 9, 10, 11 µg · ml^?1 for P, and 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 µg · ml^?1 for PB. The method was applied to the determination of dyes in different commercially available powder drinks. The results obtained by the application of the PLS‐2 method were statistically compared with those obtained by an HPLC method using the F and t tests. Very similar values were found by two methods. No time consuming pretreatment was needed and this method also provides rapid, accurate and economical analysis of these colors.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Nitrite in Water Samples with 4‐(1‐Methyl‐1‐Mesitylcyclobutane‐3‐yl)‐2‐Aminothiazole

Abstract

A simple, sensitive, and specific spectrophotometric method for the measurement of nitrite in water has been developed and optimum reaction conditions along with other analytical parameters have been evaluated. The azo dye, 4‐(1‐methyl‐1‐mesitylcylobutane‐3‐yl)‐2‐(p‐N,N‐dimethylazobenzene)‐1,3‐thiazole was synthesized with the reaction of 4‐(1‐methyl‐1‐mesitylcylobutane‐3‐yl)‐2‐aminothiazole and N,N‐dimethyl aniline in acidic medium. Obtained azo dye has been characterized by infrared (IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and microanalysis methods. The dye shows an absorption maximum at 482 nm. The method is optimized for acid concentration, pH, amount of reagents required, time, and interfering species. All the determinations were carried out at this wavelength throughout the work. At an analytical wavelength of 482 nm, Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range 0.05 to 2.00 µg nitrite per mL analyte. The molar absorptivity, Sandell's sensitivity, and relative standard deviation are 2.03×10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1±251.3 (95%), 2.28×10^?3 µg cm^?2, and 2.74% (n=10), respectively. The detection limit of the method is 0.012 µg ml^?1 of nitrite ion. The method was succesfully applied to the determination of nitrite in tap water and lake water.     

Extraction Properties of Modified Silica Gel for Metal Analysis by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence

Abstract

The separation of water‐soluble vitamins by capillary zone electrophoresis was developed, in which on‐line concentration methods, namely field‐enhanced sample stacking and dynamic pH junction, were utilized to improve the detection sensitivity. The effects of some critical parameters, including pH and concentration of background electrolyte, sample matrix pH and concentration, and injection volume were examined. The effects of field‐enhanced sample stacking and dynamic pH junction on the separation resolution and concentration efficiency were compared. The limits of detection of the vitamins were from 6 to 119 ng ml^?1 (2.7×10^?8 to 53.4×10^?8 M) based on the signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 and the relative standard deviations of migration time and peak area for each vitamin (1 µg ml^?1) were less than 3.5% using the field‐enhanced sample stacking as an on‐line concentration method. The developed method was applied to the analysis of water‐soluble vitamins in corns.     

Cysteine enhances clastogenic activity of dimethylarsinic acid

The effects of cysteine on dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)‐induced cytotoxicity and chromosomal aberration were studied using Chinese hamster V79 cells. The IC 50 of DMA, i.e. the concentration resulting in a 50% decrease in cell population of viable cells, was 130 µg ml^?1 (0.94 mM ), whereas that in the presence of 50 µg ml^?1 (0.28 mM ) cysteine was 20 µg ml^?1 (0.14 mM ). The mitotic index with co‐administration of 50 µg ml^?1 (0.36 mM ) DMA and 50 µg ml^?1 cysteine was 1.4 times that with 50 µg ml^?1 DMA alone. Whereas 82% of cells divided twice with 25 µg ml^?1 (0.18 mM ) DMA alone, most cells divided only once with co‐administration of 25 µg ml^?1 DMA and 50 µg ml^?1 cysteine. These results indicated that the increase in mitotic index by cysteine was due to enhancement of mitotic arrest by DMA. With co‐administration of 25 µg ml^?1 DMA and 50 µg ml^?1 cysteine, tetraploidy was 14.3% higher and fivefold by that with 25 µg ml^?1 DMA only. Cysteine at 50 µg ml^?1 enhanced induction of chromosomal aberrant cells by DMA. 100 µg ml^?1 (0.72 mM ) DMA induced 91% chromosomal aberrant cells in the presence of cysteine, and 12% in the absence of cysteine. Chromatid breaks and chromatid gaps were the most frequent types of aberration induced by co‐administration of DMA and cysteine or DMA alone. Co‐administration of DMA and cysteine produced many attenuated chromosomal figures. The attenuated chromosomal figures always had several chromatid gaps and chromatid breaks. Our findings may provide clues to arsenic carcinogenesis in humans. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel vortex-assisted liquid phase microextraction method for parabens in cosmetic oil products using deep eutectic solvent

ABSTRACT

The parabens, which are harmful to our bodies, are primarily utilized as preservatives in medicine, personal care products and cosmetics. A novel, more efficient, fast and cheap vortex-assisted liquid phase microextraction method based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was developed for the determination of parabens. The microextraction conditions were optimized using these solvents and the analytical parameters of the method were determined under optimal microextraction conditions. After extraction, the chromatographic separation of parabens was undertaken using high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection. Experimental parameters, such as DES type, DES volume, dilution solvent volume and vortex extraction time were optimized. DES6 [ChCl-Ethylene glycol (1/2)] was the most suitable DES to work in this study. Detection limits for this method of 0.053 µg mL^?1 for methylparaben, 0.061 µg mL^?1 for ethylparaben, 0.049 µg mL^?1 for propylparaben and 0.052 µg mL^?1 for butylparaben were obtained. Correlation coefficients (R²) for a concentration range of 0.1–100 µg mL^?1 were higher than 0.9992 and relative standard deviation (RSD) values below 2.91% at parabens concentration of 2.5 µg mL^?1 were obtained. The results of spike/recovery values of real samples were greater than 84%. When compared with other methods, the main advantages include lower LOD, short extraction time, rapidity, repeatability and simplicity.     

Flow‐Injection Spectrophotometric Determination of N‐acetylcysteine in Pharmaceutical Formulations with On‐Line Solid‐Phase Reactor Containing Zn(II) Phosphate Immobilized in a Polyester Resin

Abstract

A flow‐injection spectrophotometric procedure was developed for determining N‐acetylcysteine in pharmaceutical formulations. The sample was dissolved in deionized water and 400 µl of the solution was injected into a carrier stream of 1.0×10^?2 mol l^?1 sodium borate solution. The sample flowed through a column (70 mm length×2.0 mm i.d.) packed with Zn₃(PO₄)₂ immobilized in a polymeric matrix of polyester resin and Zn(II) ions were released from the solid‐phase reactor because of the formation of the Zn(II) (N‐acetylcysteine)₂ complex. The mixture merged with a stream of borate buffer solution (pH 9.0) containing 5.0×10^?4 mol l^?1 Alizarin red S and the Zn(II)Alizarin red complex formed was measured spectrophotometrically at 540 nm. The analytical curve was linear in the N‐acetylcysteine concentration range from 3.0×10^?5 to 1.5×10^?4 mol l^?1 (4.9 to 24.5 µg ml^?1) with a detections limit of 8.0×10^?6 mol l^?1 (1.3 µg ml^?1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were smaller than 0.5% (n=10) for solutions containing 5.0×10^?5 mol l^?1 (8.0 µg ml^?1) and 8.0×10^?5 mol l^?1 (13.0 µg ml^?1) of N‐acetylcysteine, and the analytical frequency was 60 determinations per hour. A paired t‐test showed that all results obtained for N‐acetylcysteine in commercial formulations using the proposed flow‐injection procedure and a comparative procedure agreed at the 95% confidence level.     

Validation of UV Spectrophotometric Method for Fexofenadine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Comparison with HPLC

Abstract

A simple, reproducible, accurate, and effective spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the quantitation of the antihistamine fexofenadine in capsules and coated tablets. Ethanol was used as solvent and the absorbance at the wavelength of 220 nm was employed to the quantitation of the drug. The method validation was fulfilled through the evaluation of the analytical parameters of linearity, precision, accuracy, limits of detection, and quantitation and specificity. The method was linear (r=0.9999) at concentrations ranging from 8.0 to 20.0 µg ml^?1, precise (RSD intra‐day=0.29; 0.18; 0.39; RSD inter‐day=0.12 for capsules and RSD intra‐day=0.13; 0.16; 0.13; RSD inter‐day=0.13 for coated tablets), accurate (percentage recovery=99.97% for capsules and 100.51% for tablets), sensitive (limits of detection and quantitation of 0.10 and 0.29 µg ml^?1, respectively) and specific. The method was compared to a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, which was previously developed to the same drug. The results showed no significant difference between the methods in fexofenadine hydrochloride quantitation.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Sparfloxacin in Pharmaceutical Preparations by Ternary Complex Formation with Pd(II) and Eosin

Abstract

A simple, sensitive, and direct spectrophotometric method has been developed for the assay of sparfloxacin in bulk and pharmaceutical preparations. The proposed method is based on the formation of ternary complex between an investigated drug, palladium(II) ion and eosin in the presence of methylcellulose as surfactant and acetate buffer of pH 4.2. Spectrophotometrically, under the optimum conditions, the ternary complex showed absorption maximum at 550 nm, with apparent molar absorptivity of 2.69×10⁴ l mol^?1 cm^?1, Sandell's sensitivity of 0.01458 µg ml^?1 and linearity in the concentration range 1.6–16 µg ml^?1. The composition of the ternary complex was studied by Job's method of continuous variation and the result indicated that the molar ratio of SPFX: Pd: eosin is 1∶1∶1. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters are evaluated. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of SPFX in its pharmaceutical product with mean percentage recoveries of 99.71%. The observed data has been subjected to statistical analysis, which revealed high accuracy and precision.     

Novel Method for Selective Spectrophotometric Determination of Titanium(IV) with Water Extract of Slippery Elm Leaf as a New Reagent

Abstract

A novel spectrophotometric method for the determination of titanium(IV) by using a new reagent, water extract of slippery elm leaf is developed. In 0.05 M hydrochloric acid, titanium(IV) reacts with this reagent to form a yellow product. The formed product shows maximum absorbance at 415 nm with a molar absorptivity value of 0.68×10⁴ l mol^–1 cm^–1 and the method was linear in the 0.2–6 µg ml^?1 concentration range. The detection limit value was found to be 0.0131 µg ml^?1. The proposed method was simple, low cost, selective, and sensitive. It was applied to the analytic samples with satisfactory results.     

Rapid and Highly Sensitive HPLC and TLC Methods for Quantitation of Amlodipine Besilate and Valsartan in Bulk Powder and in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and in Human Plasma

Two simple, sensitive, and specific high-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography methods were developed for the simultaneous estimation of Amlodipine besilate (AM) and Valsartan (VL). Separation by HPLC was achieved using a xTerra C18 column and methanol /acetonitrile /water/ 0.05% triethylamine in a ratio 40:20:30:10 by volume as mobile phase, pH was adjusted to 3 ± 0.1 with o-phosphoric acid. The flow rate was 1.2 mL min^?1. The linearity range was 0.2 to 2 µg mL^?1 for amlodipine besilate and 0.4 to 4 µg mL^?1 for Valsartan with a mean percentage recovery of 99.59 ± 0.523% and 100.61 ± 0.400% for amlodipine besilate and valsartan, respectively. The TLC method used silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates; the optimized mobile phase was ethyl acetate/ methanol / ammonium hydroxide (55:45:5 by volume). Quantitatively, the spots were scanned densitometrically at 237 nm. The range was 0.5–4.0 µg spot^?1 for amlodipine besilate and 2.0–12.0 µg spot^?1 for valsartan. The mean percentages recovery was 99.80 ± 0.451% and 100.61 ± 0.363% for amlodipine besilate and valsartan, respectively. The HPLC method was found to be simple, selective, precise, and reproducible for the estimation of both drugs from spiked human plasma.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Dopamine at a Mercury Electrode in the Presence of Citrate: Analytical Applications

Abstract

Dopamine can be determined by voltammetric methods using a mercury electrode, previously oxidized at +0.30 V. The oxidation product formed is stabilized in the presence of citrate and undergoes reduction at ?0.31 V. This work describes the electrochemical behavior of dopamine at a mercury electrode in the presence of citrate and its application in the development of a square‐wave voltammetric method for the dopamine determination in pharmaceutical formulations. The method was in‐house validated for determination of dopamine in injectable formulations. The detectability of the method was 0.02 µg ml^?1.     

A Rapid,Simple, and Sensitive Spectrophotometric Determination of Traces of Vanadium (V) in Foodstuffs,Alloy Steels,and Pharmaceutical,Water, Soil,and Urine Samples

Abstract

A rapid, simple, sensitive, and selective spectrophotometric method is investigated for the determination of traces of vanadium (V) in foodstuffs, alloy steels, and pharmaceutical, water, soil, and urine samples in aqueous DMF medium. The metal ion forms a green colored complex with 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (HMBATSC) in an acidic buffer of pH 6.0. The green colored solution, having an absorbance maximum at 380 nm, is stable for more than 72 hours. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.051–2.037 µg ml^?1. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of the method are found as 2.75 × 10⁴ l mol^?1 cm^?1 and 0.0018 µg cm^?2, respectively. The green colored complex has 1:2 [V(V)-HMBATSC] stoichiometry. The stability constant of the complex is determined as 3.267 × 10¹¹ by Job's method. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters are studied. A sensitive and selective second-order derivative spectrophotometry has also been proposed for the determination of V(V). The interference of various cations and anions are studied. The present method is successfully applied to the determination of vanadium (V) in foodstuffs, alloy steels, and pharmaceutical, water, soil, and urine samples.     

UV–Second Derivative Spectrophotometric and Colorimetric Methods for the Determination,Validation and Thermogravimetric Analysis of New Oral Antidiabetic Pioglitazone in Pure and Pharmaceutical Preparations

Abstract

Three rapid, sensitive, and simple spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of pioglitazone in pure and pharmaceutical preparations.

For the first method, UV-spectrophotometry, standard solutions were measured at 270.2 nm. The first method was linear from 5.0–20.0 µgmL^?1. The linearity was found to be 5.0–20.0 µgmL^?1. For the second method, the distances between two extremum values (peak-to-peak amplitudes), 272.0 and 287.4 nm were measured in the second order derivative-spectra of standard solutions. Calibration curves were constructed by plotting d² A/dλ² values against concentrations, 2.0–12.0 µgmL^?1 of pioglitazone standards in acetonitrile. The detection limits of pioglitazone were 0.10 and 0.16 µgmL^?1 for UV and derivative spectrophotometric methods, respectively. The third method was based on the formation of an ion association complex with bromocresol green (BCG), bromocresol purple (BCP), bromophenol blue (BPB), and bromothymol blue (BTB). The assay was linear over the concentration range of 20.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BCG, 10.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BCP, 20.0–120.0 µgmL^?1 for BPB, and 10.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BTB. The detection limits of pioglitazone was found to be 0.14 µg mL^?1 for BCG, 0.32 for BCP, 1.24 µgmL^?1 for BPB, and 0.22 µgmL^?1 for BTB. The thermal analysis of the pioglitazone was studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis-Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA-DSC) techniques. Enthalpy change of pioglitazone was found to be 85.16 J/g. The proposed methods were validated according to the ICH guidelines (1996) with respect to specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The results demonstrated that the procedure is accurate, precise, specific, and reproducible (percent relative standard deviation <2%), while being simple and less time consuming. The three proposed methods have been successfully applied to the assay of pioglitazone in pure and in pharmaceutical preparations. The results compared with those obtained by an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method using t and F tests.     

Acute kidney injury caused by the intraperitoneal injection of Bothrops jararaca venom in rats

Abstract

We examined the ability of Bothrops jararaca venom (12.5?mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) to cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats. Blood urea and creatinine (AKI biomarkers, in g dL^?1) were elevated after 2?h in venom-treated rats (urea: from 0.41?±?0.1 to 0.7?±?0.03; creatinine from 46.7?±?3.1 to 85?±?6.7; p?<?0.05; n?=?3 each), with no change in circulating reduced glutathione. Venom-treated rats survived for ～6?h, at which point platelets were reduced (×10³ µL^?1; from 763.8?±?30.2 to 52.5?±?18.2) whereas leukocytes and erythrocytes were slightly increased (from 4.7?±?0.3 to 6.6?±?0.1?×?10³?µL^?1 and from 8.38?±?0.1 to 9.2?±?0.09?×?10⁶?µL^?1, respectively; p?<?0.05); blood protein (5.2?±?0.4?g dL^?1) and albumin (2.7?±?0.1?g dL^?1) were normal, whereas blood and urinary urea and creatinine were increased. All parameters returned to normal with antivenom given 2?h post-envenomation. The i.p. injection of venom caused AKI similar to that seen with other routes of administration.     

Difference spectrophotemetric assay of mixtures of phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride with guaifensesin or fextromethorphan hydrobromide in olid cough formulations

A difference spectrophotometric method is described for the selective assay of phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride(I) in the presence of guaifenesin(II) or dextromethorphan hydrobromide(III) without prior separation. The method is based on the spectral change upon oxidation of phenylpropanolamine to benzaldehyde by sodium metaperiodate. The difference absorption spectrum is obtained by measuring oxidized against unoxidized phenylpropanolamine. This spectrum exhibits a maximum of 251.5 nm, a minimum at 275 nm and an isosbestic point at 272.5 nm. Absorbance is linear with concentration for 25–100 μg ml^?1 phenylpropanolamine at 251.5 nm. No changes in the spectra of compounds II and III were observed when these compounds were treated with metaperiodate. Guaifenesin and dextromethorphan are assayed by measuring an aliquot of the sample solution against methanol at 281.5 nm and 286 nm, respectively. Phenylpropanolamine does not interfere at these wavelengths. Calibrations are linear over the range 25–125 μg ml^?1 for II and III. Overall recoveries (±SD, n = 5) from simulated tablets were 99.8 ± 2.6% for I and 100.5 ± 0.5% for II; from simulated capsules, the recoveries were 99.2 ± 0.4% for I and 99.6 ± 0.2% for III. The assay was succesfully applied to commercial tablets and capsules containing these compounds.