A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotmetric method for trace determination of salbutamol (SAL) in aqueous solution
and in pharmaceutical preparations is described. The method is based on the diazotization coupling reaction of the intended
compound with 4-amino benzoic acid (ABA) in alkaline medium to form an intense orange, water soluble dye that is stable
and shows maximum absorption at 410 nm. A graph of absorbance versus concentration indicates that Beer’s law is obeyed
over the concentration range of 0.5-30 ppm, with a molar absorbtivity 3.76×104 L.mol-1
.cm-1 depending on the
concentration of SAL. The optimum conditions and stability of the colored product have been investigated and the method
was applied successfully to the determination of SAL in dosage forms.
