Pharmaceutical analysis of some tranquillizers and antidepressants with iodine monochloride

A titrimetric method for the evaluation of some tranquillizers and antidepressants is proposed. The method is based on the oxidation of these drugs by iodine monochloride, in strong acid medium, the iodine liberated being titrated with potassium iodate by the Andrews method. The proposed method is applied successfully for the determination of 9 phenothiazines, 1 thioxanthene, 2 acid hydrazides and 1 dibenzazepine containing a double bond (Opipramol). Tablets, solutions for injection, and drops are also determined by the proposed method. The mechanism of oxidation for each species is suggested and the results obtained agree with these suggestions. Some official and non-official methods for the evaluation of the drugs have been compared with the iodine monochloride method, which is found to be superior in specificity, sensitivity and speed.