The determination of the tetracycline antibiotics doxycycline, oxytetracycline, rolitetracycline and tetracycline using a flow-injection method with spectrophotometric detection based on their reaction with 4-aminophenazone and hexacyanoferrate(III) is described. The flow-injection system was optimized using a modified simplex method and the results were compared with those from a univariate
... [Show full abstract] procedure of optimization. Under the optimized conditions, the determination of the tetracyclines in the ranges 1−20 and 20−250 mg l−1 with a relative standard deviation of ⩽1% for 10 and 100 mg l−1, respectively (n=10), and a sample throughput of 60−70 h−1 was achieved. The method was applied to the determination of tetracyclines in pharmaceutical preparations.