The spectrophotometric and heterometric determination of some alkaloids as cobaltothiocyanates

Small amounts of papaverine (about 3 mg in 15 ml solution) can be determined heterometrically in the presence of thiocyanate by titration with cobaltous solution. A strong electrolyte (Na₂SO₄) must be added to obtain a clear endpoint. The titration can be carried out in the presence of large amounts (97%) of quinine and ephedrine. The titration takes 2–3 min and the error rarely exceeds 1%.Papaverine, quinine, and ephedrine can be determined individually by spectrophotometry as their cobaltothiocyanates, which are extracted in 30% cyclohexanone in carbon tetrachloride, and the optical density measured at 625 nm. The method is reproducible at milligram levels with a standard deviation of ±0.3% for papaverine and quinine and = 0.5% for ephedrine.