Flow-Batch Analyzer for the Chemiluminescence Determination of Catecholamines in Pharmaceutical Preparations

Abstract

A novel, simple, cheap, flexible, versatile, and highly sensitivity flow-batch analyzer (FBA) with chemiluminescence detection was developed for determination of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine in pharmaceutical preparations. The method was based on the inhibitory effect of the mentioned catecholamines on a luminol-potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) chemiluminescence system in alkaline medium. The optimization of the chemical variables affecting this chemiluminescence inhibition effect has been carried out using a Box-Behnken experimental design. The sample throughput was 28 h⁻¹. The system allowed the automatic preparation of standard solutions and analytical process can be accomplished just by changing the operational parameters in FBA control software.

Keywords:

• Box-Behnken design
• Catecholamines
• Chemiluminescence
• Flow-batch analyzer

Acknowledgments

This paper was submitted as part of a Special Issue on Flow Injection Analysis.

All authors are grateful to Universidad Nacional del Sur, as well as to CNPq, CAPES, CONICET (PIP Project), and MINCyT (PICT project), for support. Thanks to Elbio Saidman from Universidad Nacional de San Luis for his collaboration in the HPLC procedure.

Notes

^a Levels of concentration. Each level was replicated by triplicate.

The values are expressed in mg per ampoule. Standard deviations are in parenthesis. The samples were analyzed for triplicate.

^a According to United States Pharmacopoeia 29.

^b HPLC vs. proposed method.

^c Tabulated 95% confidence limit.