A lanthanide sensitized chemiluminescence method of flow-injection for the determination of ulifloxacin and prulifloxacin

Abstract

A lanthanide sensitized chemiluminescence method of flow-injection was developed for the determination of a new fluoroquinolone, ulifloxacin (UFX), and its prodrug prulifloxacin (PUFX). The proposed method was based on the remarkable chemiluminescence enhancement effect of UFX (PUFX) on KMnO4−Na2S2O4−Ln(III). Tb(III) ion was chosen from lanthanides because it showed the best sensitizing effect. Under optimized experimental conditions, the relative chemiluminescence intensity was in linear relationship with UFX and PUFX concentrations in the ranges of 1.0 × 10−8 − 5.0 × 10−6 M and 9.0 × 10−9 − 5.0 × 10−6 M, respectively. The minimum detectable value and relative standard deviation were 5.5 × 10−9 M, 1.5% for UFX and 7.0 × 10−9 M, 2.9% for PUFX, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of UFX in spiked human serum and urine, and of PUFX in tablets with satisfactory results. The possible mechanism of chemiluminescence was also proposed.