Spectrophotometric determinations of some phenothiazine drugs

A rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the quantitative determination of some phenothiazine derivatives as the pure substances and in different dosage forms. The method is based on the formation of red coloured products with 1% iodic acid in sulphuric or phosphoric acid medium. The reaction involves oxidation of the phenothiazine nucleus into a semiquinonoid radical. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters are evaluated. The influence of the substrates commonly employed as excipients with phenothiazine drugs has been studied. Statistical comparison of the results with those of an official method shows excellent agreement and indicates no significant difference in precision.