Abstract

Two methods, one titrimetic and the other spectrophotometric, for the determination of prcpranolol hydrochloride in bulk drug and in its tablets have been described. Both methods are indirect and involve the determination of the chloride content of the hydrochloride of the drug. In titrimetry, the sample solution is treated with a known excess of silver nitrate and after the precipitations is complete, unreacted silver nitrate is back titrated with thiocyanate using iron (Ill) as indicator. Spectrophotometry makes use of the reaction between chloride and mercury (II) thiocyanate in which thiocyanate ions will be displaced and complexed with iron (Ill) for subsequent rneasurement at 460 nm. Titrimetry is applicable for 1-9 mg of drug whereas spectrophotometry is applicable in the concentration range of 10-50 μg/ml.The detection limit, the quantification limit, molar absorptivity and Sandell sensitivity values of the spectrophotometric method have been reported. These methods were successfully applied to the determination of propranolol in tablets with the percentage recovery of 97.9-100.9 % (titrimetry) and 99.1-102.5 % (spectrophotometry).