X-ray fluorescence determination of bromine traces in pharmaceutical formulations containing sodium diclofenac.

The X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) on solid samples is applied to the organic bromine impurities assay on pharmaceutical formulations of sodium diclofenac (DCF). A wide range of Br contents (7-1564 ppm) in the tablets is obtained, depending on manufacturer source and batch preparation. As the impurities concern only the sodium diclofenac employed, and the presence of Br might be a toxicity index arising from the synthetic procedure, the assay of each DCF batch is suggested.