Analytical properties of 2- and 10-disubstituted phenothiazine derivatives

Phenothiazine derivatives substituted in the 2 and 10 positions belong to a big group of tricyclic aromatic compounds. They are in extensive use in psychiatry as tranquilizers and neuroleptics. Due to their characteristic structure they exhibit many valuable analytical properties. They are easily oxidized in an acidic medium while generating color products. They also react with some thiocyanate and halide complexes of metals as well as some organic compounds, and form well-defined ion-association complexes. The properties mentioned above are the basis for utilizing the phenothiazine derivatives as reagents for chemical analysis. The physical and chemical properties of 2,10-disubstituted phenothiazine derivatives are described in the presented paper in detail. The paper is divided into seven parts. The first chapter presents the physical properties of the phenothiazine derivatives, such as their physical state, thermal stability and solubility. The next part of the paper is devoted to the spectral properties of 2,10-disubstituted phenothiazine derivatives. The influence of the type of substituents on the intensity and shape of the UV and fluorescence spectra of phenothiazine derivatives are discussed. Chapters 4 and 5 show the run and the mechanism of phenothiazine derivatives oxidation, their electrochemical properties and the analytical aspects of the described processes. Chapter 6 of the present paper is devoted to the complexing abilities of the phenothiazine derivatives. The paper is based on a review of the chemical literature up to 1995. A short specification of the analytical methods utilizing the physical and chemical properties of the phenothiazine derivatives is also included.