Selective spectrofluorimetric method for paracetamol determination through coumarinic compound formation.

A spectrofluorimetrical selective method was designed for determination of paracetamol in tablets. This important technique can be characterized by its sensitivity, simplicity, celerity and cheaper cost than current official methods. The employed methodology involves coumarinic compound formation obtained by reaction between paracetamol and ethylacetoacetate (EAA) in the presence of sulphuric acid as catalyst. The reaction product is highly fluorescent at 478nm, being excited at 446nm. The linear concentration range of the application was 0.1-0.4microg/ml of paracetamol and the detection limit was 57ng/ml. The influence of different variables was studied and optimized through chemometric techniques. Applying the above-mentioned method good results were obtained with regard to pharmaceutical formulations containing paracetamol. Therefore, it is relevant to suggest this profitable technique for medicament control analysis.