Crouch D J, Moran D M, Finkle B S, Peat M A
J Anal Toxicol. 1984 Mar-Apr;8(2):63-5. doi: 10.1093/jat/8.2.63.
A versatile method for the quantitation of emetine and cephaeline in biological samples is described. Two milliliters of samples containing N-propylprocainamide as the internal standard are buffered to pH 9 and extracted with n-butyl chloride. After subsequent back extraction into 0.01 M hydrochloric acid, a portion of the acid layer is analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Routinely, the minimum level of detection for both drugs is 5 ng/mL and linearity is demonstrated from 5 to 2500 ng/mL.