Chromatographic detection of cimetidine and famotidine using chloranilic acid as a spray reagent.

Qualitative determination of cimetidine and famotidine by TLC using chloranilic acid as the detecting spray reagent was carried out in different elution systems. On spraying, coloured spots corresponding to the drugs were formed which were stable for over three hours. In a particular solvent system, a commercial sample gave the same Rf value as its corresponding pure reference sample without any interference from the excipient.