KINETIC-ANALYSIS OF PENICILLIN DEGRADATION IN ACIDIC MEDIA

Degradation of penicillin in acidic media (pH 2.7) was monitored by high-pressure liquid chromatography and UV spectroscopy. The effects of temperature, buffer concentration and ionic strength were examined. A degradation pathway is proposed, and the apparent 1st-order rate constant and energy of activation were calculated for each reaction. One or more degradation products containing a sulfhydryl group, a funtional group often suggested as having a major role in eliciting allergic responses to penicillin therapy, were present throughout the degradation scheme.