Liquid-chromatographic quantification of piracetam.

Piracetam, an analog of gamma-aminobutyric acid, absorbs maximally at 197 nm. Its molar absorptivity at 208 nm and pH 4.5 is 3576 (SD 251) L . mol-1 cm-1, approximately 45% of its absorptivity at 197 nm. Direct quantification of piracetam at 197 nm in biological extracts is complicated by the fact that many other compounds absorb between 190 and 220 nm due to carbon-nitrogen bonding. Chromatography of methanol extracts of serum and aqueous humor on a reversed-phase C-18 column developed isocratically with KH2PO4 (0.1 mol/L, pH 4.8) allows detection and quantification of 0.2 mmol of piracetam per liter. Under these conditions the retention time of piracetam is about 5 min. The detector response is linear for quantities between 5 and 15 nmol. The method is rapid, inexpensive, and convenient for the clinical laboratory.