Abstract
Three simple, accurate and sensitive spectrophotometric methods (A, B and C) for the determination of cefuroxime and ceftazidime in bulk samples and in dosage forms are described. They are based on the reaction with nitrous acid forming a nitroso derivatives which can be measured at λmax 350 and 355 nm for cefuroxime (I) and ceftazidime (II), respectively (method A) or by oxidation of drug I or II with an excess of freshly prepared hypobromite and the residual hypobromite was treated with sodium fluorescein at the optimum experimental conditions and measured at λmax at 517 nm (method B). Method C is based on the formation of tris (0-phenanthroline) iron(II) complex (ferroin) upon the oxidation of the studied drug I or II with an iron (III)-o-phenanthroline mixture in acetate buffer solution of pH 3.6 and measuring at λmax 509 nm. Regression analysis of Beer-Lambert plots showed good correlation in the concentration ranges 0.2 – 6.0, 0.2 – 3.2 and 0.1 – 5.6 μg ml−1 for methods A, B and C, respectively. The apparent molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, detection and quantitation limits were calculated. For more accurate results, Ringbom optimum concentration range was 0.2 – 5.6 μg ml−1. The validity of the proposed methods was tested by analysing dosage forms containing the studied drugs I and II. The relative standard deviations were ≤ 1.25% with recoveries 98.6 – 101.4% .