Application of derivative spectrophotometry to simultaneous determination of indomethacin and 5-methoxy-2-methyl-3-indoleacetic acid in metindol injections.

Derivative spectrophotometry was employed to develop a rapid and accurate method for simultaneous determination of indomethacin and 5-methoxy-2-methyl-3-indoleacetic acid as its possible impurity in Metindol injections. At the selected wavelengths, 233.04 and 284.65 nm, no interference between the components determined was observed. Under the established experimental conditions, recoveries of the particular components were from 96.14 to 98.17%. Linearity was maintained over a broad range of concentrations, from 11.88 x 10(-3) to 35.64 x 10(-3) mg/mL for indomethacin and 0.4 to 1.2 mg/mL for 5-methoxy-2-methyl-3-indoleacetic acid. The limit of detection was found to be 6.0 x 10(-3) mg/mL for indomethacin and 0.04 x 10(-3) mg/mL for 5-methoxy-2-methyl-3-indoleacetic acid. The limits of quantitation were found to be 10.0 x 10(-3) mg/mL and 0.20 x 10(-3) mg/mL, respectively.