[Analysis and stability of suxamethonium chloride. 1. Detection and quantitative determination of the intact active agent with its degradation products].

The authors developed methods permitting to follow the course of degradation in injectable solutions of suxamethonium chloride. The qualitative detection of the active agent in the presence of degradation products is achieved by thin-layer chromatography and spraying with Dragendorff's reagent and bromocresol green indicator solution. The same separation technique may be used for determining with sufficient accuracy the intact agent in the eluate, using the method of Okken and Haas. Furthermore, a modified Draganic procedure (which is based on the spectrophotometric determination of the hydrolysis products succinic acid monocholine chloride and succinic acid as a Cu-benzidine complex) is suited for estimating the degree of degradation. No previous separation is required because the molar extinction efficients of the monoester and of the acid are in agreement, so that the degree of degradation can be calculated from the sum of the molar concentrations. The value of these methods is demonstrated by analyzing experimental mixtures of the intact agent and degradation products.