Zero and second-derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for the quantification of two non-classical β-lactams in pharmaceutical vials: Application to stability studies.

The formation of metal chelates with various ligands may lead to the production of fluorescent chelates or enhance the fluorescence of the chelating agent. This paper describes two sensitive, selective and computer-solved methods, namely, zero order (SF) and second-derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry (SDSFS) for nano-quantitation of two carbapenems; meropenem (MP) and ertapenem (EP). The methods are based on the chelation of MP with Tb3+ and EP with Zr4+ in buffered organic medium at pH 4.0 to produce fluorescent chelates. In the zero order method, the relative synchronous fluorescence intensity is measured at 327.0 nm at Δλ = 70.0 and 100.0 nm for MP and EP, respectively. The second method utilizes a second-derivative technique to enhance the method selectivity and emphasize a stability-indicating approach. The peak amplitudes (2 D) of the second-derivative synchronous spectra were estimated to be 333.06 and 330.06 nm for MP and EP, respectively. The proposed synchronous spectrofluorimetric methods were validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and applied successfully for the analysis of MP and EP in pure forms, pharmaceutical vials and in synthetic mixtures with different degradants of both drugs. Under optimum conditions, the mole-ratio method was applied and the co-ordination ratios of MP-Tb3+ and EP-Zr4+ chelates were found to be 1:1 and 1:3. The formation constants for the chelation complexes were evaluated using the Benesi-Hildebrand's equation; the free energy change (ΔG) was also calculated. The results indicated that EP-Zr4+ was more stable than the MP-Tb3+ chelate. Moreover, the developed methods were found to be selective and inexpensive for quantitative determination of both drugs in quality control laboratories at nano-levels.