HPLC Determination of some antibilharzial antimonials by extraction of antimony

The antimonial drug (antimony potassium tartrate, antimony piperazine tartrate or antimony lithium thiomaleate) in aqueous solution or biological fluid is treated with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in the presence of a suitable masking reagent, the pH is adjusted to 9 +/- 0.5. and the antimony complex extracted with n-hexane and determined by reversed-phase HPLC with an ODS column and detection at 254 nm. The limits of detection are 20 ng (for antimony potassium tartrate and antimony lithium thiomaleate) and 16 ng (for antimony piperazine tartrate).