Simultaneous Determination of Paracetamol, Caffeine, Guaifenesin and Preservatives in Syrups by Micellar LC

Abstract

A micellar liquid chromatographic technique allowing the separation and simultaneous determination of the active ingredients paracetamol, caffeine, and guaifenesin, and preservatives benzoic acid, methyl and propyl paraben is described. The separation was effective by using the Kromasil C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and a mobile phase of 1-butanol:water (1:99, v/v), containing 0.04 M sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.1% (v/v) trichloroacetic acid, for eluting all compounds. The detection wavelength was set as 260 nm. The column heater was also used, set at 40 °C for these determinations. Under these conditions, separation of the six components was achieved in less than 30 min. The specificity of the method was demonstrated. Analytical characteristics such as limit of detection, limit of quantification, linear range, accuracy, precision (repeatability) and the influence of the various method parameters (robustness study) were evaluated. The developed method was applied to the determination of paracetamol, caffeine, guaifenesin, benzoic acid (sodium benzoate), methyl and propyl paraben in cough-drop syrups.