Separation and identification of nine penicillins by reverse phase liquid chromatography

A simple and rapid high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the separation and identification of amoxicillin, ampicillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, methicillin, oxacillin, nafcillin, penicillin G potassium, and penicillin V potassium. The antibiotics were separated at ambient temperature on a Chromegabond 10 microns C18 column with acetonitrile-methanol-0. 01M potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer, pH 4.7 (19 + 11 + 70), at 1 mL/min. A variable wavelength detector set at 225 nm, 0.16 AUFS , and a recorder set at 0.25 cm/min were used for the detection. Individual antibiotics and their mixtures were dissolved in the mobile phase and injected into the chromatograph through a 20 microL injection loop. Baseline separation was observed for virtually all 9 antibiotics. The entire mixture was resolved in less than 30 min. The method was sensitive, reproducible, and applicable to the qualitative analysis of commercial dosage forms.