Spectrophotometric determination of saccharin in different materials by a solvent extraction method using Nile Blue as reagent

In a slightly acidic medium (sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer, pH 4) saccharin and Nile Blue form an ion-association compound which is extractable into methyl isobutyl ketone and allows the spectrophotometric determination of saccharin. At 630 nm Beer's law is obeyed over the saccharin concentration range 0.1-3.5 microg/ml in the aqueous phase and the apparent molar absorptivity is 5.8 x 10(4) l.mole(-1).cm(-1). The method shows good selectivity and can be applied to the determination of saccharin in artificial sweeteners, soft drinks and toothpastes.