Comparison of three new spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous determination of aspirin and salicylic acid in tablets without separation of pharmaceutical excipients.

Simultaneous analysis of aspirin (ASA) and salicylic acid (SA) in pharmaceutical tablet preparations was performed by two multicomponent UV-spectrophotometric methods utilizing principal component regression and classical least square algorithm. Additionally, an assay procedure based on second-derivative spectroscopy was developed. The analysis was performed in turbid solutions without separation of interfering excipients. The range, as determined by the second-derivative methods, was 0.2 to 103.2 micrograms/mL for ASA and 0.07 to 44.5 micrograms/mL for SA. Sensitivity for determination of SA was 0.004% of ASA content for the second-derivative method and 0.2% of ASA content for both multicomponent methods. The methods were applied to laboratory mixtures and commercial tablet formulations containing ASA and SA. The advantage of the second-derivative method in determining small amounts of SA in commercial tablet preparations is shown in comparison with a conventional HPLC method. All UV-spectrophotometric methods are rapid, accurate, and reproducible.