Simultaneous determination of acetaminophen, propyphenazone and caffeine in cefalgin preparation by pressurized planar electrochromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Abstract

Pressurized planar electrochromatography (PPEC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) have been involved in separation and analysis of active components of cefalgin tablets: acetaminophen, propyphenazone and caffeine. A separation system comprised acetonitrile-buffer mobile phase and chromatographic plates with an adsorbent layer of the C18 type. The PPEC separation process, applying polarization voltage 1.8 kV, was 2.7 times shorter than that of HPTLC. Total time of the separation procedure by PPEC mode (6 min) is considerably shorter than that of HPTLC (20 min). Resolution of sample bands and performance of the PPEC separating system are more favorable for quantitative analysis than those of HPTLC under the same chromatographic conditions (qualitative and quantitative composition of the mobile and stationary phases). Under established experimental conditions, satisfactory sensitivity of the method was achieved. The LODs ranged from 0.06 to 0.16 μg of component per spot depending on the method and substance. Procedures were validated for selectivity, precision, linearity and accuracy. Investigations show that both PPEC and HPTLC modes were accurate, precise, sensitive, linear and specific. Furthermore, PPEC is promising mode, which, in our opinion, can be applied in routine pharmaceutical analysis in the near future.