Spectrophotometric determination of cephapirin, a cephalosporin antibacterial

A simple and specific method for the quantitative determination of cephapirin, a cephalosporin antibacterial, in finished bulk and dosage forms is reported. The method is based on reproducible degradation under controlled conditions to an unidentified species, which is measured spectrophotometrically at 375 nm. The procedure can be performed manually on a short series of samples in about 15 min or can be automated for large runs. Precursors and related substances show minimal interference. The coefficient of variation of the automated system is about 1% within days and 1.3% among days.