A highly sensitive spectrofluorometric method for the determination of a new antidepressant drug, reboxetine, in tablets

Abstract

A highly sensitive, selective, and rapid spectrofluorometric method has been developed for the determination of reboxetine (REB) in tablets. The method is based on derivatization with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzofurazan. The product showed an absorption maximum at 476 nm and a fluorescence emission peak at 533 nm in ethyl acetate. The optimum conditions of the reaction were investigated, and it was found that the reaction proceeded quantitatively at pH 8.5, 70 degrees C in 5 min. The calibration graph is rectilinear over the range of 0.02-0.40 mu g/mL. The relative standard deviation values for intraday and interday precision were 0.40-0.93 and 0.54-1.37%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the assay of REB in tablets. Mean recovery of REB from the tablets ranged between 99.91-100.20%. The results were compared statistically with those obtained by a method reported in the literature. The method is sensitive, simple, and selective, and can be used for routine quality control analysis.