Spectrophotometric determination of chlordiazepoxide and nitrazepam

The use of ethyl acetoacetate in the spectrophotometric determination of chlordiazepoxide and nitrazepam has been investigated. The procedure is based on coupling the diazotized drugs with ethyl acetoacetate, which possesses an active methylene group. The products have absorption maxima at 408 and 482 nm and apparent molar absorptivities of 2.74 x 10(4) and 4.11 x 10(4) 1.mole(-1).cm(-1), respectively. The method is simple, highly sensitive and suitable for 1-16 mug/ml concentrations of the two compounds, with mean recoveries of 100.3 +/- 1.2 and 99.8 +/- 1.0% respectively.     

Second-derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for the simultaneous determination of cinnarizine and nicergoline in pharmaceutical preparations

A rapid, simple, and highly sensitive second-derivative synchronous fluorometric method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of binary mixtures of cinnarizine (CN) and nicergoline (NIC). The method is based upon measurement of the native fluorescence of these drugs at constant wavelength difference (Deltalambda) = 80 nm in aqueous methanol (50%, v/v). The different experimental parameters affecting the native fluorescence of the studied drugs were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range of 0.025-1.5 and 0.25-5.5 microg/mL for CN and NIC, respectively, with lower detection limits of 0.58 and 0.82 ng/mL and quantitation limits of 1.93 and 2.73 ng/mL for CN and NIC, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of the studied compounds in synthetic mixtures and in commercial tablets. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained with reference methods. The high sensitivity attained by the proposed method allowed the determination of CN in real and spiked human plasma. The mean recovery in the case of spiked human plasma [number of trials (n) = 3] was 102.82 +/- 2.17%, while that in real human plasma (n = 3) was 105.25 +/- 2.05.     

The Broad Aryl Acid Specificity of the Amide Bond Synthetase McbA Suggests Potential for the Biocatalytic Synthesis of Amides

Amide bond formation is one of the most important reactions in pharmaceutical synthetic chemistry. The development of sustainable methods for amide bond formation, including those that are catalyzed by enzymes, is therefore of significant interest. The ATP‐dependent amide bond synthetase (ABS) enzyme McbA, from Marinactinospora thermotolerans, catalyzes the formation of amides as part of the biosynthetic pathway towards the marinacarboline secondary metabolites. The reaction proceeds via an adenylate intermediate, with both adenylation and amidation steps catalyzed within one active site. In this study, McbA was applied to the synthesis of pharmaceutical‐type amides from a range of aryl carboxylic acids with partner amines provided at 1–5 molar equivalents. The structure of McbA revealed the structural determinants of aryl acid substrate tolerance and differences in conformation associated with the two half reactions catalyzed. The catalytic performance of McbA, coupled with the structure, suggest that this and other ABS enzymes may be engineered for applications in the sustainable synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant (chiral) amides.     

Separation, identification, and quantification of selected withanolides in plant extracts of Withania somnifera by HPLC-UV(DAD)--positive ion electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry

This paper describes a method for separation, identification, and quantification of selected withanolides in Withania somnifera plant extracts by HPLC-UV(DAD)-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Withaferin-A (WS-3), 12-deoxywithastramonolide (WS-12DS), Withanolide A (WS-1), and Withanone (WS-2) were used as external standards. The compounds were isolated from Withania somnifera by repeated column chromatography of the root extract and their identity was established by 1H- and 13C-NMR and mass spectral data. The compounds were chromatographed on a Merck (250 x 4.6 mm ID, 5 microm) column and analyzed by Electrospray Ionization on a mass spectrometer in Selected Ion Mode (SIM). For quantification, [M + Na]+ ions were monitored. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 1.50 microg/mL to 6.5 microg/mL. The method was applied successfully to the detection and quantification of the said withanolides in a number of samples.     

Periplocain A,a New Naphthalene Derivative from Periploca aphylla Growing in Saudi Arabia

Periplocain A ( 2 ), a new naphthalene derivative together with four known compounds: 2‐ethylhexyl benzoate ( 1 ), quercetin‐3‐O‐α‐l ‐rhamnopyranoside ( 3 ), quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐d ‐glucopyranoside ( 4 ), and quercetin‐3‐(6‐O‐α‐l ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐β‐d ‐glucopyranoside) ( 5 ) were isolated from the AcOEt fraction of the aerial parts of Periploca aphylla (Asclepiadaceae). Their structures were established by multiple spectroscopic methods in addition to HR‐ESI‐MS and by comparison with literature data.     

Enhancement of Congo red dye removal efficiency using Mg-Fe-layered double hydroxide

Research on Chemical Intermediates - In this study, Mg-Fe(II)-Al-layered double hydroxide with different molar ratios Fe/Al (Mg0.80-Fe0.14-Al0.06-LDHs and Mg0.80-Fe0.20-Al0.00-LDHs) was prepared...     

Stability-Indicating LC Method for the Determination of Lacidipine in Tablets. Application to Degradation Kinetics and Content Uniformity Testing

A simple, stability-indicating, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of lacidipine in the presence of its degradation products. The analysis was carried out using a 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size Nucleodur MN-C18 column. Mobile phase containing a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.02 M phosphate buffer (70:30) at pH = 5.0 was pumped at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹ with UV-detection at 254 nm. The method showed good linearity in the range of 0.06–15 μg mL⁻¹ with a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.016 μg mL⁻¹ (3.5 × 10⁻⁸ M). The suggested method was successfully applied for the analysis of lacidipine in bulk and in commercial tablets with average recoveries of 100.19 ± 0.81% and 100.05 ± 0.69%, respectively. The results were favorably compared to those obtained by a reference method. The suggested method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of alkaline, acidic, peroxide and photo-induced degradation of the drug. The apparent first-order rate constant, half-life times and activation energies of the degradation process were calculated. The pH profile curve was derived. The proposed method was successfully applied to the content uniformity testing of tablets.