Degradation kinetics of neostigmine in solution.

The degradation kinetics of neostigmine were studied in aqueous solutions with varied pH from 1.5 to 9.9 under accelerated storage conditions. The stability of neostigmine in solutions containing propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol 400 was also investigated. The reaction order of neostigmine in these aqueous and solvent systems followed pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics. The degradation rates of neostigmine under various buffer concentrations within the investigated pH range were obtained. They indicated that the degradation was independent of the species of buffering agent. Maximum stability of neostigmine was determined at pH 5.0 buffer species conditions. The activation energy could be estimated from the Arrhenius plot as 15.72 kcal/mole. The half-life of 883.7 days was estimated at room temperature in 0.1 M, pH 4.9 acetate buffer solution (mu = 0.5). Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at 254 nm of the neostigmine solutions in pH 4.9 acetate buffer showed an accelerated degradation in comparison with light-protected samples. Incorporation of propylene glycol into the neostigmine solution at pH 4.9 enhanced the stability; however, an adverse effect on the stability of neostigmine was noted when a polyethylene glycol 400 solvent system was used.