Colorimetric acetaminophen determination in pharmaceutical formulations.

Different approaches for the colorimetric determination of acetaminophen, based on its coupling with diazotized o-nitroaniline, are described. Copper(II) chelation with the coupled compound makes the method highly selective. Sensitivity is increased when the acetaminophen assay is carried out indirectly through the determination of the chelate's copper content. Optimum conditions for performing the different approaches are described. The stoichiometric balance for the reactants in the coupled compound and chelate is determined. The degree of dissociation and the instability constant are computed. The rectilinear relationship between the absorbance of the different products and the concentration of acetaminophen allows for its determination in different pharmaceutical formulations. Compared with the official method, the proposed methods give more accurate results.