Acid-base chemistry of omeprazole in aqueous solutions

Omeprazole is a potent anti-acid drug. Its absorption and mode of action are closely related to its prototropic behavior. In the present study, omeprazole samples from different sources and in different forms were studied spectrophotometrically to obtain pK_a values. In the neutral to alkaline pH region, two consistent pK_a values of 7.1 and 14.7 were obtained from various samples. The assignment of these pK_a values was realized by comparison with the prototropic properties of N(1)-methylated omeprazole substituted on the nitrogen at the 1-position of the benzimidazole ring, which was found to have a pK_a of 7.5. The omeprazole pK_a of 14.7 is assigned to the dissociation of the hydrogen from the 1-position of the benzimidazole ring and the pK_a of 7.1 is assigned to the dissociation from the protonated pyridine nitrogen of omeprazole. The results presented are at variance with those of earlier work.