Analele UniversităŃii din Bucureti – Chimie, Anul XIV (serie nouă), vol. III, pg. 401406
Copyright © 2005 Analele UniversităŃii din Bucureti
SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF PROCAINE AND
BENZOIC ACID BY DERIVATIVE SPECTROMETRY
Irinel Adriana Badea
*
, LuminiŃa Vlădescu
abstract: A derivative spectrometric method has been developed for the determination of
benzoic acid in presence of procaine. The method is precise and accurate and ensures the assay
of both compounds benzoic acid and procaine in finished drugs.
Introduction
Procaine, (2diethylaminoethyl4aminobenzoate hydrochloride), belongs to local
anesthetics and is the active substance of Romanian drugs Aslavital and Gerovital H3 used
in treatment of several disease related to aging, asthma and arthritis [1]. Finished products
with procaine contain up to 6% benzoic acid as major excipients. In the present study a
rapid, precise and accurate derivative spectrometric method for direct and simultaneous
determination of both compounds procaine and benzoic acid has been developed. Such a
method is required in quality control of finished drugs as the official monographs are based
on a classical volumetric method for benzoic acid [2] and on a potentiometric titration for
procaine [2]. These official methods can not be used for direct determination of both
compounds. The research of the literature reveals that electrochemical [35], ultraviolet
visible spectrometry [6], fluorimetry [7], highperformance liquid chromatography [8,9]
and gas chromatography [10] methods were developed for the determination of procaine
both in pharmaceuticals and biological fluids. Only one method has been reported for the
determination of procaine in presence of benzoic acid [11].
*
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 412 Bv. Regina Elisabeta,
030018 Bucharest, Romania