Identification and Quantitative Determination of Nabumetone in Pharmaceutical Preparations by TLC-Densitometry

A simple, selective, and sensitive thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method is described for the identification and determination of nabumetone in pharmaceutical products. The mobile phase was constituted by the following mixture: n-hexane-chloroform-glacial acetic acid 4:1:1 (v/v/v); and the stationary phase was TLC plate of silica gel 60 F254. The chromatograms were developed and analyzed densitometrically at λ1 = 270 nm and λ2 = 330 nm. RF values and UV spectra were used to identify the compounds. The developed method was characterized by high sensitivity (LOD and LOQ (limits of detection and quantitation) from 0.23 µg per band to 1.00 mg per band), high accuracy (recovery about 100%), and good precision ((relative standard deviation, RSD <2%).