Systemic Optimization and Validation of Normal and Reversed-Phase Eco-Friendly Chromatographic Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Paracetamol and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride in the Presence of Paracetamol Impurities

Abstract

Abstract Background Chromatographic behavior of different substances in normal and reversed phases is an interesting area in the scientific community. Objective The work aimed to optimize and validate chromatographic separation methods for simultaneous determination of paracetamol (PAR) and phenylephrine HCl (PHE) in the presence of PAR impurities, namely p-aminophenol, p-nitrophenol, acetanilide, and p-chloroacetanilide with further quantification of these toxic impurities. Methods TLC method based on normal phase separation was carried out on aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F254 using ethanol:chloroform:ammonia as a developing system, followed by densitometric measurements. While HPLC is based on reversed phase separation using a C18 column against acetonitrile:phosphate buffer pH 5 as a mobile phase. Results PAR and PHE were determined by the TLC-densitometric method in concentration ranges of 3–25 and 0.1–3 µg/band, respectively, and determined by the HPLC method over concentration ranges of 5–400 and 2–80 µg/mL, respectively. Both methods were optimized and validated. Furthermore, they were successfully applied for pharmaceutical formulations with precision <2%. Moreover, results of a statistical comparison with the official methods confirm the methods’ validity claims. Conclusion Two eco-friendly chromatographic methods were developed to determine PAR and PHE in their binary mixtures, pharmaceutical formulations, and in the presence of PAR-related impurities with further quantification of these toxic impurities. Highlights These simple chromatographic methods are the first methods developed for simultaneous determination of PAR and PHE in the presence of PAR-related impurities.