Semiautomated analysis of ergonovine maleate or methylergonovine maleate tablets and injections by colorimetric or fluorometric systems.

Two semiautomated analytical systems have been developed to determine ergonovine and methylergonovine maleate in single tablets and injections. The active ingredient is dissolved in a tartrate buffer. In the fluorometric method the stream is automatically diluted with tartrate buffer and excited with ultraviolet light; the resulting fluorescence is measured and recorded. In the colorimetric method, the stream is automatically made basic with sodium hydroxide and extracted with n-butanol. The extract is mixed with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde reagent. After reaction, the solution is mixed with sodium nitrite solution, and the developed color is measured at 550 nm. Recoveries of 100% were obtained from spiked placebos. Standard deviations for powdered tablet and injection samples ranged from 0.63 to 1.24%. Comparisons with the USP XVIII methods are presented.