Atomic absorption spectroscopic, conductometric and colorimetric methods for determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics using ammonium reineckate ion-pair complex formation

Three accurate, rapid and simple atomic absorption spectrometric, conductometric and colorimetric methods were developed for the determination of norfloxacin (NRF), ciprofloxacin (CIP), ofloxacin (OFL) and enrofloxacin (ENF). The proposed methods depend upon the reaction of ammonium reineckate with the studied drugs to form stable precipitate of ion-pair complexes, which was dissolved in acetone. The pink coloured complexes were determined either by AAS or colorimetrically at lambdmax 525 nm directly using the dissolved complex. Using conductometric titration, the studied drugs could be evaluated in 50% (v/v) acetone in the range 5.0-65, 4.0-48, 5.0-56 and 6.0-72 microg ml-1 of NRF, CPF, OFL and ENF, respectively. The optimizations of various experimental conditions were described. The results obtained showed good recoveries of 99.15 +/- 1.15, 99.30 +/- 1.40, 99.60 +/- 1.50, and 99.00 +/- 1.25% with relative standard deviations of 0.81, 1.06, 0.97, and 0.69% for NRF, CPF, OFL, and ENF, respectively. Applications of the proposed methods to representative pharmaceutical formulations are successfully presented.     

Determination of total chromium traces in tannery effluents by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, flame atomic absorption spectrometry and UV-visible spectrophotometric methods

Three different analytical methods comprising colorimetric method with 1,5-diphenyl-carbazide, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry were utilized in a study to determine traces of chromium (Cr) in synthetic tannery effluent from laboratory scale treatment process variations. All the results obtained using the three different methods showed good agreement and met the requirement of Brazilian regulation for total Cr for effluent discharges (<0.5 mg l(-1)). However, ET AAS has been the proposed method because it was faster, less laborious, needed smaller volume of sample and presented lower limit of quantification (LOQ=2.2 mug l(-1)).     

Liquid chromatographic and spectrophotometric determination of diflucortolone valerate and isoconazole nitrate in creams

A new RP-LC method and two new spectrophotometric methods, principal component regression (PCR) and first derivative spectrophotometry, are proposed for simultaneous determination of diflucortolone valerate (DIF) and isoconazole nitrate (ISO) in cream formulations. An isocratic system consisting of an ACE C18 column and a mobile phase composed of methanol-water (95 + 5, v/v) was used for the optimal chromatographic separation. In PCR, the concentration data matrix was prepared by using synthetic mixtures containing these drugs in methanol-water (3 + 1, v/v). The absorbance data matrix corresponding to the concentration data matrix was obtained by measuring the absorbances at 29 wavelengths in the range of 242-298 nm for DIF and ISO in the zero-order spectra of their combinations. In first derivative spectrophotometry, dA/dlambda values were measured at 247.8 nm for DIF and at 240.2 nm for ISO in first derivative spectra of the solution of DIF and ISO in methanol-water (3 + 1, v/v). The linear ranges were 4.00-48.0 microg/mL for DIF and 50.0-400 microg/mL for ISO in the LC method, and 2.40-40.0 microg/mL for DIF and 60.0-260 microg/mL for ISO in the PCR and first derivative spectrophotometric methods. These methods were validated by analyzing synthetic mixtures. These three methods were successfully applied to two pharmaceutical cream preparations.     

Rapid determination of lead in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The need for highly reliable methods for the determination of trace and ultratrace elements has been recognized in analytical chemistry and environmental science. A simple and powerful microextraction technique was used for the detection of the lead ultratrace amounts in water samples using the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), followed by the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). In this microextraction technique, a mixture of 0.50 mL acetone (disperser solvent), containing 35 microL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) and 5 microL diethyldithiophosphoric acid (chelating agent), was rapidly injected by syringe into the 5.00 mL water sample, spiked with lead. In this process, the lead ions reacted with the chelating agent and were extracted into the fine droplets of CCl(4). After centrifugation (2 min at 5000 rpm), the fine CCl4 droplets were sedimented at the bottom of the conical test tube (25+/-1 microL). Then, 20 microL from the sedimented phase, containing the enriched analyte, was determined by ET AAS. The next step was the optimization of various experimental conditions, affecting DLLME, such as the type and the volume of the extraction solvent, the type and the volume of the disperser solvent, the extraction time, the salt effect, pH and the chelating agent amount. Moreover, the effect of the interfering ions on the analytes recovery was also investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factor of 150 was obtained from only a 5.00 mL water sample. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.05-1 microg L(-1) with the detection limit of 0.02 microg L(-1). The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for seven replicate measurements of 0.50 microg L(-1) of lead was 2.5%. The relative lead recoveries in mineral, tap, well and sea water samples at the spiking level of 0.20 and 0.40 microg L(-1) varied from 93.5 to 105.0. The characteristics of the proposed method were compared with the cloud point extraction (CPE), the liquid-liquid extraction, the solid phase extraction (SPE), the on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) and the co-precipitation, based on bibliographic data. The main DLLME advantages combined with ET AAS were simplicity of operation, rapidity, low cost, high-enrichment factor, good repeatability, low consumption of extraction solvent, requiring a low sample volume (5.00 mL).     

Stability-indicating chromatographic methods for the determination of some oxicams

Two sensitive and selective methods were developed for the determination of some oxicams, namely, lornoxicam (LOX), tenoxicam (TEX), and meloxicam (MEX), in the presence of their alkaline degradation products. The first method is based on the thin-layer chromatographic separation of the 3 drugs from their alkaline degradation products, followed by densitometric measurement of the intact drug spots for LOX, TEX, and MEX at 380, 370, and 364 nm, respectively. The developing systems used for separation are ethyl acetate-methanol-26% ammonia (17 + 3 + 0.35, v/v/v) for LOX and TEX and chloroform-n-hexane-96.0% acetic acid (18 + 1 + 1, v/v/v) for MEX. The linear ranges were 0.25-6.0 microg/spot for LOX and TEX and 0.5-10 microg/spot for MEX, with mean recoveries of 99.80 +/- 1.32, 100.57 +/- 1.34, and 100.71 +/- 1.57%, respectively. The second method is based on the liquid chromatographic separation of the 3 drugs from their alkaline degradation products on a reversed-phase C18 column, using mobile phases of methanol-acetonitrile-acetate buffer, pH 4.6 (4.5 + 0.5 + 5.0, v/v/v) for LOX and MEX and methanol-acetonitrile-acetate buffer, pH 4.6 (1.9 + 0.1 + 3.0, v/v/v) for TEX at ambient temperature. Quantification is achieved by UV detection at 280 nm, based on peak area. The linear ranges were 0.5-20 microg/mL for LOX and TEX and 1.25-50 microg/mL for MEX, with mean recoveries of 99.81 +/- 1.01, 98.90 +/- 1.61, and 100.86 +/- 1.55%, respectively. The methods were validated according to guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization. The developed methods were successfully applied to the determination of LOX, TEX, and MEX in bulk powder, laboratory-prepared mixtures containing different percentages of degradation products, and pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

Arsenic determination in marine sediment using ultrasound for sample preparation.

This work deals with As determination in marine sediment using ultrasound for sample preparation. It is shown that As can be quantitatively extracted from marine sediment using 20% (v/v) HCl and sonication. The slurry is centrifuged and the analyte is determined in the supernatant by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG AAS). A flow injection (FI) system is employed for hydride generation, with 0.5% (m/v) NaBH(4) used as reducdant and a 20% (v/v) HCl used as sample carrier. The limit of quantification is 1.6 microg g(-1) of As, which is based on 800 microl of sample solution and 0.200 g of sample mass in a volume of 50 mL. Certified and non certified marine sediment samples were analyzed; the results were in accordance with the certified or reference values. Speciation analysis by HPLC-ICP-MS showed that As(V) is the only detectable As species present in the supernatant of the centrifuged sample.     

Column and thin-layer chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of acediasulfone in the presence of cinchocaine, and cefuroxime in the presence of its hydrolytic degradation products

Column liquid chromatography (LC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometry methods are described for simultaneous determination of acediasulfone (Ace) and cinchocaine (Cinco). In the LC method, the separation and quantitation of the 2 drugs was achieved on a Zorbax C8 column (5 microm, 150 x 4.6 mm id) using a mobile phase composed of methanol-phosphate buffer, pH 2.5 (66 + 34, v/v), at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and ultraviolet detection at 300 and 327 nm for Ace and Cinco, respectively. The method showed linearity over concentration ranges of 20-200 and 45-685 microg/mL, respectively. In the TLC-densitometry method, a mobile phase composed of methanol-tetrahydrofuran-acetic acid (45 + 5 + 0.5, v/v/v) was used for the separation of the 2 drugs. The linearity range was 0.5-4 and 2-9 microg/spot, respectively. In addition, stability indicating TLC-densitometry method has been developed for determination of cefuroxime sodium in the presence of 5-70% of its known hydrolytic degradation products. The mobile phase butanol-methanol-tetrahydrofuran-concentrated ammonium hydroxide (50 + 50 + 50' + 5, v/v/v/v) was used. The concentration range was 2-10 microg/spot. The optimized methods proved to be specific and accurate for the analysis of the cited drugs in laboratory-prepared mixtures and dosage forms. The obtained results agreed statistically with those obtained by the reference methods.     

Spectrophotometric determination of acyclovir and ribavirin in their dosage forms

Two simple, accurate, and reliable spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of 2 antiviral drugs, acyclovir (ACV) and ribavirin (RBV), in their pharmaceutical formulations. These methods are based on oxidation of the 2 drugs with either cerium (IV) ammonium sulfate (Method A) or potassium persulfate (Method B). The products of oxidation in both methods are coupled with 3-methylbenzothiazolin 2-one hydrazone, producing a deep blue color with a maximum absorption wavelength at 630 nm. In Method A, the absorbance-concentration plots were linear over the ranges of 5-50 and 10-60 microg/mL with detection limits of 0.18 microg/mL (8 x 10(-7) M) and 0.63 microg/mL (2.58 x 10(-6) M) for ACV and RBV, respectively. In Method B, the ranges were 5-45 and 20-50 microg/mL with detection limits of 0.11 microg/mL (4.88 x 10(-7) M) and 1.40 microg/mL (5.73 x 10(-6) M) for the 2 drugs, respectively. The molar absorptivities were 4.1 x 10(3) and 3.65 x 10(3) L/mol/cm in Method A and 5.03 x 10(3) and 3.97 x 10(3) L/mol/cm in Method B for the 2 drugs, respectively. The proposed methods were applied successfully for the determination of the 2 drugs in their pharmaceutical formulations. The percentage recoveries +/- standard deviation were 99.57 +/- 0.86 and 100.82 +/- 0.46 for ACV; 99.41 +/- 1.08 and 100.35 +/- 1.03 for RBV. The results obtained were compared statistically with those given by official methods and showed no significant differences regarding accuracy and precision.     

Stability-indicating methods for determination of tiapride in pure form, pharmaceutical preparation, and human plasma

Four different stability-indicating procedures are described for determination of tiapride in pure form, dosage form, and human plasma. Second derivative (D2), first derivative of ratio spectra (1DD), spectrofluorimetric, and high-performance column liquid chromatographic (LC) methods are proposed for determination of tiapride in presence of its acid-induced degradation products, namely 2-methoxy-5-(methylsulfonyl) benzoic acid and 2-diethylaminoethylamine. These approaches were successfully applied to quantify tiapride using the information included in the absorption, excitation, and emission spectra of the appropriate solutions. In the D2 method, Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 1.5-9 microg/mL with a mean recovery of 99.94 +/- 1.38% at 253.4 nm using absolute ethanol as a solvent. In 1DD, which is based on the simultaneous use of the first derivative of ratio spectra and measurement at 245 nm in absolute ethanolic solution, Beer's law was obeyed over a concentration range of 1.5-9 microg/mL with mean recovery 99.64 +/- 1.08%. The spectrofluorimetric method is based on the determination of tiapride native fluorescence at 339 nm emission wavelength and 230 nm excitation wavelength using water-methanol (8 + 2, v/v). The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.2-3 microg/mL with mean recovery of 99.66 +/- 1.46%. This method was also applied for determination of tiapride in human plasma. A reversed-phase LC method performed at ambient temperature was validated for determination of tiapride using methanol-deionized water-triethylamine (107 + 93 + 0.16, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Sulpiride was used as an internal standard at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with ultraviolet detection at 214 nm. A linear relation was obtained over a concentration range of 2-30 microg/mL with mean recovery of 99.66 +/- 0.9%. Results were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by applying the reference method. They proved both accuracy and precision.     

Spectrophotometric determination of three anti-ulcer drugs through charge-transfer complexation

A simple charge-transfer complexation method is described for the spectrophotometric assay of nizatidine, ranitidine, and famotidine. This method is based on interaction of these drugs, as n-electron donors, with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane, as the pi-acceptor, in acetonitrile to give highly colored green radical anions that are measured at 840 nm. Calibration graphs for the 3 compounds are linear over the concentration ranges of 1-6 microg/mL for nizatidine and ranitidine and 1-7 microg/mL for famotidine, with correlation coefficients (n = 6) of >0.999. The conditioned stability constants and the free energy changes were measured; the values obtained were generally high and negative, respectively, suggesting highly stable complexes. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of the drugs in pharmaceutical preparations. The assay results were in accordance with those obtained by using reference methods.     

Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of Gatifloxacin,Moxifloxacin and Sparfloxacin with DNA and Their Analytical Applications

The electrochemical oxidation of the three fluoroquinolone drugs FQs: gatifloxacin GTF, moxifloxacin MXF and sparfloxacin SPF, at the bare and DNA‐modified glassy carbon electrodes has been studied by voltammetric techniques. The three FQs showed one irreversible oxidation peak at potential range 0.85–0.91 V vs. Ag‐AgCl, in phosphate buffer of pH 7.0. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and UV‐absorption spectroscopic techniques were employed to probe the interaction between the FQs and calf thymus double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ds CT‐DNA). From electrochemical data, the binding constant between DNA and the gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin and sparfloxacin are calculated to be 3228, 2596 and 2857 M^?1 respectively. Based on electrochemical and spectroscopic results, the mode of binding of fluoroquinolone to DNA through combined effect of intercalation and electrostatic interaction was concluded. A detection scheme based on a preconcentration and differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) determination at dsDNA modified glassy carbon electrode (DNA/GCE) was proposed for the trace determination of the studied analytes. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of the FQs in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Simultaneous determination of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen in pharmaceutical preparations by spectrophotometric and liquid chromatographic methods

A binary mixture of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen was determined by 4 different methods. The first involved determination of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen using the ratio-spectra first-derivative spectrophotometric technique at 211 and 234 nm over the concentration ranges of 2-14 and 5-45 microg/mL with mean accuracies 99.84 +/-0.92 and 99.98+/- 0.64%, respectively. The second method utilized second-derivative spectrophotometry over the concentration ranges of 2-14 and 5-35 microg/mL with mean accuracies 99.32+/- 1.06 and 99.55+/-1.15%, respectively. The third method was based on the resolution of the 2 components by bivariate calibration depending on a simple and rapid mathematical algorithm and quantitative evaluation of the absorbances at 206 and 254 nm over concentration ranges of 2-16 and 5-35 microg/mL; mean accuracies of 100.21+/-1.30 and 100.19 +/-1.07% were obtained for hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen, respectively. The fourth method was reversed-phase liquid chromatography using 0.05 M ammonium dihydrogen phosphate-acetonitrile-methanol (20 + 30 + 6, v/v) as the mobile phase with ultraviolet detection at 220 nm over concentration ranges of 1-90 and 5-70 microg/mL; mean accuracies were 99.92+/-1.02 and 99.61+/- 0.98%, respectively. The suggested procedures were checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures and were successfully applied for the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations. The methods retained their accuracy and precision when the standard addition technique was applied. The results obtained by applying the proposed methods were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by the manufacturer's method.     

Spectrophotometric methods for determination of enalapril and timolol in bulk and in drug formulations

Two simple and accurate spectrophotometric methods for determination of timolol and enalapril maleate are described. The first method is based on chelate formation with palladium(II) chloride in buffered medium. The second method is based on the formation of the colored complex between palladium(II), eosin, and the two cited drugs using methylcellulose as surfactant to increase the solubility and intensity of the formed complexes. Under optimum conditions the complexes showed maximum absorption at 369.4 nm and 362.8 nm for timolol and enalapril maleate, respectively, in the first method and 552.2 and 550.6 nm for the second method. Apparent molar absorptivities were 1.8 x 10(3) and 1.3 x 10(3) and Sandell's sensitivities were 5.9 x 10(-4) and 2.7 x 10(-4) for timolol and enalapril maleate in the first method; in the second method molar absorptivities were 2.8 x 10(4) and 1.1 x 10(4) while Sandell's constants were 9.1 x 10(-3) and 2.3 x 10(-3) for timolol and enalapril maleate. The solutions of the complexes obeyed Beer's law in the concentration ranges 20-200 micro g mL(-1) and 50-300 micro g mL(-1) for timolol and enalapril maleate, respectively. In the second method, because the reaction was more sensitive the ranges were reduced to 1.6-16 micro g mL(-1) for timolol 8-56 micro g mL(-1) for enalapril maleate. The proposed methods were applied to the determination of the two drugs in their pharmaceutical formulation.     

Determination of two antibacterial binary mixtures by chemometrics-assisted spectrophotometry

Simple chemometrics-assisted spectrophotometric methods are described for determination of 2 antibacterial binary mixtures. The mixtures are composed of norfloxacin in combination with tinidazole and erythromycin (as ethylsuccinate ester or stearate salt) in combination with trimethoprim. The normal UV absorption spectra of each pair of drugs in the studied mixtures, in the range of 200-400 nm, showed a considerable degree of spectral overlapping: 77.5% for the norfloxacin-tinidazole mixture and 84.3% for the erythromycin-trimethoprim mixture. Resolution of the norfloxacin-tinidazole mixture and trimethoprim in the presence of erythromycin was accomplished successfully by using zero-crossing first derivative (1D), classical least-squares (CLS) regression analysis, and principal component regression (PCR) analysis methods. In addition, an alternative simple and accurate colorimetric method was developed for the determination of erythromycin in the presence of trimethoprim using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. All variables affecting the development of the colored chromogen were studied and optimized, and the product was measured at 526-529 and 538-542 nm for erythromycin stearate and erythromycin ethylsuccinate, respectively. For zero-crossing, first derivative technique Beer's law was obeyed in the general concentration range of 2-50 microg/mL for norfloxacin, tinidazole, and trimethoprim with good correlation coefficients (0.9994-0.9996). Overall limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.59 to 2.81 and 1.96 to 9.33 microg/mL, respectively. The obtained results from CLS and PCR were compared with those obtained from a 1D spectrophotometric method. With the exception of erythromycin, overall recoveries in the average range of 97.33-103.0% were obtained with a considerable degree of accuracy when the suggested methods were applied to analysis of synthetic binary mixtures, some commercial dosage forms such as tablets and oral suspension without interference from the commonly encountered excipients and additives. For the colorimetric method, Beer's law was obeyed in the general concentration range of 7.21-28.84 microg/mL erythromycin with good correlation coefficients (0.9980-0.9996). Overall LOD and LOQ ranged from 0.73 to 1.65 and 2.43-5.49 microg/mL, respectively. Erythromycin derivatives were determined in the commercial dosage form, without interference from trimethoprim-encountered excipients and additives. The obtained results, with both chemometric and colorimetric methods, have been compared with those obtained from reported methods, and proper F- and t-values were observed, indicating no significant difference between the results of the suggested methods and reported method(s). The good percentage recoveries and proper statistical data obtained proved the efficiency of the proposed procedures for the determination of the studied drugs in their binary mixtures as well as in the commercial dosage forms with quite satisfactory precision.     

Simultaneous determination of chlorzoxazone and ketoprofen in binary mixtures and in ternary mixtures containing the chlorzoxazone degradation product by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

New, simple, rapid, and precise reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (LC) methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of chlorzoxazone (CH) and ketoprofen (KT) in binary mixtures and in ternary mixtures containing the CH degradation product, 2-amino-4-chlorophenol (CD). The analytes were separated by LC on a Lichrosphere 60 C18 column (250 x 4 mm, 5 microm). The mobile phases, methanol-water (40:60, v/v) at 1 mL/min and methanol-0.05% phosphoric acid (60:40, v/v, pH 2.81) at 1.5 mL/min, satisfactorily resolved the binary and ternary mixtures, respectively. The UV detector was operated at 280 nm for the determination of CH and at 254 nm for the determination of KT and CD. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were found to be acceptable over the concentration ranges of 20-240 and 5-60 microg/mL for CH and KT, respectively, in the binary mixtures and 50-300, 10-60, and 20-160 microg/mL for CH, KT, and CD, respectively, in the ternary mixtures. The optimized methods proved to be specific, robust, and accurate for the quality control of CH and KT in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Spectrophotometric methods for the determination of the antidepressant drug paroxetine hydrochloride in tablets

Simple, sensitive, and accurate visible spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of paroxetine hydrochloride (PA) in tablets. Among them, the first 3 methods are based on the ion-pair complexes of PA formed with bromothymol blue (BTB), bromophenol blue (BPB), and bromocresol green (BCG) in aqueous acidic buffers. The complex species extracted into chloroform were quantitatively measured at 414 nm with BTB and BCG and at 412 nm with BPB. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration ranges of 2-20, 2-16, and 2-16 microg/mL, respectively. The fourth method described is based on a coupling reaction between PA and 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzofurazon (NBD-Cl) in borate buffer, pH 8.5, in which a yellow reaction product that was measured at 478 nm was formed. The Beer's law range for this method was 2-10 microg/mL. The last method developed describes the interaction of PA base, as an n-electron donor, with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), as a pi-acceptor, in acetonitrile to give blue-colored TCNQ- radical anion with absorption maxima at 750 and 845 nm. Measured at 845 nm, the absorbance-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 1.5-15 microg/mL. The new methods developed were successfully applied to the determination of PA in tablets without any interference from common tablet excipients. The results of the methods were in good agreement with those obtained with an official liquid chromatographic method. This report describes first colorimetric methods for the determination of PA.     

Liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets and human plasma

A new, specific, and sensitive RP-HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eprosartan (EPR) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT). Good chromatographic separation was achieved using a 250 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microm particle size Symmetry C18 column. The mobile phase acetonitrile-0.1 M phosphate buffer (35+65, v/v), pH 4.5, was pumped at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, with UV detection at 275 nm. The method showed good linearity in the ranges of 0.5-50 and 0.1-10 microg/mL, with LOD of 0.06 and 0.02 microg/mL and LOQ of 0.20 and 0.08 microg/mL for EPR and HCT, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of the studied drugs in their synthetic mixture and co-formulated tablets. The method was further extended to the in vitro and in vivo determination of the two drugs in spiked and real human plasma. Interference likely to be encountered from the co-administered drugs was studied.     

Simultaneous determination of piracetam and vincamine by spectrophotometric and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods

A mixture of piracetam and vincamine was determined by 3 different methods. The first was the determination of piracetam and vincamine using the ratio-spectra first-derivative (DD1) spectrophotometric technique at 209 and 293 nm in concentration ranges of 10-45 and 2-14 microg/mL with mean recoveries of 99.22 +/- 0.72 and 99.67 +/- 0.79%, respectively. The second method was based on the resolution of the 2 components by bivariate calibration depending on a mathematic algorithm that provides simplicity and rapidity. The method depended on quantitative evaluation of the absorbencies at 210 and 225 nm in concentration ranges of 5-45 and 2-14 microg/mL, with mean recoveries of 100.33 +/- 0.54 and 100.44 +/- 0.98% for piracetam and vincamine, respectively. The third method was reversed-phase liquid chromatography using 0.05 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate-methanol (50 + 50, v/v) as the mobile phase, with the pH adjusted to 3.5 with phosphoric acid. The eluent was monitored at 215 nm in concentration ranges of 5-100 and 2-200 microg/mL, with mean recoveries of 99.62 +/- 0.67 and 99.32 +/- 0.85% for piracetam and vincamine, respectively. The suggested procedures were checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures and were successfully applied for the analysis of their pharmaceutical preparation. The methods retained their accuracy and precision when applying the standard addition technique. The results obtained by applying the proposed methods were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by the manufacturer's method.     

Spectrophotometric and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopic Determination of Some Fluoroquinolone Antibacterials by Ion‐pair Complex Formation with Bismuth (III) Tetraiodide

New simple spectrophotometric and atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) methods have been developed for the determination of levofloxacin (I), norfloxacin (II), and ciprofloxacin (III) in pure form, tablet formulations, and spiked human urine. The methods are based on the formation of ion‐pair associates between the drugs and the inorganic complex, bismuth (III) tetraiodide. The reaction occurs in acidic medium to form orange‐red ion‐pair associates which are instantaneously precipitated. The formed precipitates are then filtered off and the residual unreacted metal complex in the filtrate is determined either spectrophotometrically at 453 nm or by AAS at 223.1 nm. Also, the precipitates may be dissolved in acetone and quantified spectrophotometrically at 469 nm or decomposed by hydrochloric acid, and the bismuth content is determined by AAS at 223.1 nm. The methods permit the determination of the three studied drugs in the range of 5–80 μg mL^?1. The proposed methods were successfully applied to determine these drugs in their tablet formulations and spiked urine samples without any evidence for interference from pharmaceutical additives or biological matrix. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by the reference methods. The proposed methods, especially if automated, can be confidently applied for quality control and routine analysis of the studied drugs.     

Study of fluorescence characteristics of the charge-transfer reaction of quinolone agents with bromanil

A spectrofluorimetric method was discussed for the determination of three antibacterial quinolone derivatives, ofloxacin (OFL), norfloxacin (NOR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) through charge-transfer complexation (CTC) with 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-1,4-benzoquinone (bromanil, TBBQ). The method was based on the reaction of these drugs as n-electron donors with the pi-acceptor TBBQ. TBBQ was found to react with these drugs to produce a kind of yellow complexes and the fluorescence intensities of the complexes were enhanced by 29-36 times more than those of the corresponding monomers. UV-vis, (1)H NMR and XPS techniques were used to study the complexes formed. The various experimental parameters affecting the fluorescence intensity were studied and optimized. Under optimal reaction conditions, the rectilinear calibration graphs were obtained in the concentration range of 0.021-2.42 microg mL(-1), 0.017-2.63 microg mL(-1) and 0.019-2.14 microg mL(-1) for OFL, NOR and CIP, respectively. The methods developed were applied successfully to the determination of the subject drugs in their pharmaceutical dosage forms with good precision and accuracy compared to official and reported methods as revealed by t- and F-tests.