Spectrophotometric determination of acyclovir in some pharmaceutical formulations

A simple and reliable spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of acyclovir in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on its oxidative coupling reaction with 3-methylbenzothiazolin-2-one hydrazone (MBTH) in the presence of FeCl3 as an oxidant to produce deep-green colored species measurable at 616 nm. The absorbance-concentration plot is linear over the range 20-200 microg ml(-1) with minimum detectability of 1.06 microg ml(-1) (4.71 x 10(-6) M). The molar absorptivity was 9.41 x 10(2) l mol(-1) cm(-1) with correlation coefficient (n = 7) of 0.9998. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the color were studied carefully and optimized. The proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of acyclovir in its dosage forms. The percentage recoveries +/-SD (n = 9) were 98.63 +/- 0.34, 99.61 +/- 0.58, 99.35 +/- 0.58 and 99.72 +/- 0.86 for tablets, ophthalmic ointment and cream, respectively. A proposal of the reaction pathway was presented.