Air-segmented continuous-flow visible spectrophotometric determination of cephalosporins in drug formulations by alkaline degradation to hydrogen sulphide and formation of methylene blue and determination of sulphide-producing impurities including cephalosporins in penicillin samples

Visible spectrophotometric determination of cephalosporins and penicillins by indophenol derivatization with and without alkaline degradation to ammonia

Cephalosporins and penicillins give reproducible yields of ammonia on degradation in 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution at 100 degrees C: the ammonia formed was determined in the degraded solutions using the indophenol reaction. In another approach the ammonia driven off on refluxing alkaline solutions of the cephalosporin or penicillin was collected in dilute hydrochloric acid solution and determined using the indophenol reaction. For eight of the fourteen cephalosporins and penicillins studied identical yields were recorded using the two procedures: these varied from 29% for penicillin G to 137% for cephalonium based on the production of one ammonia molecule per beta-lactam molecule. For six other cephalosporins the distillation method gave substantially higher yields of ammonia than did the direct determination. Eight cephalosporins and penicillins were found to give substantial indophenol-type reactions without prior hydrolysis of the beta-lactam, but the sensitivities were usually lower than for the hydrolysis method. Manual spectrophotometric procedures for the determination of cephalosporins and penicillins based on these reactions have been developed.

Comparison of several methods used for the determination of cephalosporins. Analysis of cephalexin in pharmaceutical samples

The precision of UV absorbance of intact and acid degraded cephalosporins, ninhydrin, high performance liquid chromatography and iodometric methods used for analysis of cefoxitin, cefotaxime, cephazolin and cephalexin were compared. To obtain the calibration graphs the analytical signal used were: absorbance, first derivative absorbance, second derivative absorbance and H-point Standard Additions Method by using absorbance values at two selected wavelengths as analytical signal. These methods and calibration graphs were also used for the determination of cephalexin in pharmaceutical samples.

Indirect polarographic and cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of cefaclor as an alkaline degradation product

Cefaclor is not reducible at a mercury electrode, but it can be determined polarographically and by cathodic stripping voltammetry as its initial alkaline degradation product which is obtained in high yield by hydrolysis of cefaclor in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer pH 10 at 50 degrees C for 30 min (reduction peak at pH 10, -0.70 V). Differential pulse polarographic calibration graphs are linear up to at least 1 x 10(-4) mol/l(-1). Recoveries of 93% of the cefaclor (n = 3) were obtained from urine spiked with 38.6 microg/ml(-1) using this polarographic method with 1 ml urine made up to 10 ml with pH 10 buffer. Using cathodic stripping voltammetry and accumulating at a hanging mercury drop electrode at - 0.2 V for 30 s, linear calibration graphs were obtained from 0.35 to 40 microg/ml(-1) cefaclor in B-R buffer pH 10. A relative standard deviation of 4.2% (eta = 5) was obtained, and the limit of detection was calculated to be 2.9 ng/ml(-1). Direct determination of cefaclor in human urine (1 ml of urine was made up to 10 ml with pH 10 buffer) spiked to 0.39 microg/ml(-1) was made (recovery 98.6%).

Penicillins and cephalosporins. Physicochemical properties and analysis in pharmaceutical and biological matrices

Penicillins and cephalosporins belong to the most prescribed antibiotics. Despite the relatively extended knowledge of these drugs, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the compounds still gives rise to many problems. These difficulties are due to the chemical instability of the common beta-lactam nucleus, the minor differences in chemical structures between the analogues, and the complex and relatively fast degradation of the compounds in aqueous solutions. In this review a compilation of the physicochemical properties, the degradation routes and methods for analysis of these substances in biological and other matrices is presented.