A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of betamethasone (I), dexamethasone (II) and hydrocortisone (III), either in the pure form or in pharmaceutical formulations is described. The method is based on the development of a brown product with indophenoi in basic aqueous-ethanolic (50% v/v) medium. The optimum reaction conditions for the charge transfer complex formed were assessed. The absorbance measurements were made at 820, 816 and 822 nm for I, II and III respectively. The calibration graph was linear in the range 1-26, 1-32 and 1-35 μg/ml of I, II and III with slopes of 0.028, 0.021 and 0.024, respectively. For more accurate analysis, Ringbom optimum concentration ranges were 2.5-23.0, 3.0-28.5 and 3.0-33.0 μg/ml for I, II and III, respectively. The precision of the procedure was checked by calculating the relative standard deviation of ten replicate determinations on a sample containing 20 μg/ml for each drug and was found to be 1.67, 1.39 and 1.85% for I, II and III, respectively. Many common excepience and common drugs present in their dosage forms do not interfere, and the tolerable levels were evaluated. Results of analysis of pure drugs and their dosage forms by the proposed method are in good agreement with those of the British Pharmacopoeia 1993 procedure.
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