A new second-derivative spectrophotometric method for the determination of permethrin in shampoo

Permethrin, a highly effective insecticide agent, has been widely used for the pest control in agriculture and the treatment of lice in human. A fast and reliable method for the determination of permethrin was highly desirable to support formulation screening and quality control. A second-derivative UV spectroscopic method was developed for the determination of permethrin in the shampoo dosage form after extraction. The second-derivative spectrum recorded between 250 and 310 nm, and a zero-crossing technique for second-derivative measurement at 279 nm was selected. It is found that the selectivity and sensitivity of the method to be in desirable range. In comparison with the direct UV method, second-derivative UV spectroscopy eliminates the interference from UV absorbing excipients. This method is also fast and economical in comparison with the more time-consuming GC method regularly used for formulation screening and quality control and can be used routinely by any laboratory possessing a spectrophotometer with a derivative accessory. The linear concentration ranges were 0.25-1.5 ppm (D2=0.00042Conc.+0.0018, r=0.9972, n=10). Between day of CV%