Liquid chromatographic determination of penicillin V potassium in tablets and powders for oral solution

A reverse-phase liquid chromatographic method is described for the assay of penicillin V potassium in tablets and powders for oral solution. Under isocratic conditions, the combined use of an octadecylsilane column, with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile-methanol-0.01M monobasic potassium phosphate (21 + 4 + 75, v/v), and photometric detection at 225 nm, separated penicillin V potassium from excipients, related compounds, and degradation products. Sulfadimethoxine was used as an internal standard. Detector responses were linearly related to concentrations of penicillin V over the range 25-225 micrograms/mL (r = 0.99997). Standard addition recoveries ranged from 98.8 to 99.9% (mean 99.5%, n = 8) for tablets and from 97.9 to 101.6% (mean 99.8%, n = 8) for powders for oral solution. The liquid chromatographic assay results were compared with those obtained by the official iodometric titration method. The proposed method is simple, selective, stability-indicating, and free from interference by excipients and degradation products.