Identification and quantification of L-ascorbic acid in intact tablets of pharmaceutical preparation by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy

Reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy has been employed for the identity confirmation and determination of L-ascorbic acid in Sebidin tablets (GlaxoSmithKIine Pharmaceuticals S.A.). Absorbance spectra in the wave number range of 10000-4000 cm(-1) wavelength were obtained using a FT-NIR spectrometer (Perkin-Elmer Instruments LLC). For identification and quantification of the analyte, SIMCA and PCR+ algorithms were used. For quantitative determination a series of batches containing various amounts of the active compounds (70-130%) were used. The content of ascorbic acid in the tablets was determined applying iodometric titration. It has been found that the TLC method for identity confirmation and iodometric titration for quantitative determination of ascorbic acid can be successfully replaced by NIR spectroscopy.