Determination of Calcium in Analgesic Tablets

Using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Michael N. Ouigleyl
Mellon Hall, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282
Many articles have been published in this Journal describing experiments for the determination of various analgesics in proprietary brands of pharmaceutical tablets
(1-19). Although a number of articles describing the use of
atomic absorption spectrophotometry have also been published in this Journal (2040), a marriage between the two
t o ~ i c has
s not been r e ~ o r t e dhere. This is not too surorisi i g because most explriment designers would prefer focus attention on the determination of active inmedients.
which are usually organic in nature.
In fact, analgesic tablets can be analyzed just a s easily
for the inactive, inorganic ingredients, which are often
found in greater than trace amounts (>I%).The procedure
presented below allows one to determine the amount of
calcium contained in calcium carbonate coated analgesic
tablets and follows the recommendations of orevious6 reported methods (41).

tb

Experimental
Caution: Use care in the preparation of the lanthanum reagent. Ahighly exothermic reaction results from the addition
of the acid to the lanthanum oxide.

5%( w / u j Lanthanum Solution. Weigh o u t approximately 59 g of lanthanum oxide, and transfer i t to a l-L
beaker. Add 50 mL of deionized water. Slowlv add 250 mL
of concentrated hydrochloric acid solution and allow to
cool. Finally add suff~cientwater to make a ~ ~ r o x i m a t e1
lv
Use calcium

Working Standard Solutions. From the stock standard

solution repare a set of working standard solutions (1-10
mg/L Ca ) by serial dilution. If using 50.0-mL volumetric
flasks, add 2.0 mL of 5%lanthanum solution to each flask
before diluting to the mark.2

SolutionA. Grind one or two coated tablets, such a s

Bnfferin (Bristol-Myers Squibb), into a fine powder using
a mortar and pestle. Accurately weigh out approximately
200 me of the oowdered tablet into a beaker. and add 20
mL 0f;oncent;ated
hydrochloric acid solution. Quantitativelv transfer this solution to a 100.0-mL volumetric
flask; and dilute to the mark with deionized water,

'Current address: Bradfield Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

14853.

2~anthan~m
acts as a re easlng agenl. prevenmg tne mtrod~cton
of nvo a! le calc L m pyropnospnale lnlo me flame Allernawe lecnn qLes nvo.ve lne adott on of elnyleneolam nelelraacet c ac d
(EDTA) to the solutions or use of a higher-temperature nitrous oxidelacetyleneflame.

800

Journal of Chemical Education

Use a n atomic absorption spectrophotometer with a n air1

acetylcnc flame to analyze the ~ a "working standard solutions and the tcit solution(s,. Set the wavelength to
422.7 nm and the slit wldth to 0.7 nm. iLJsinc a I'erkin-El-mer 1100 instrument, we obtained a linear calibration
curve for the ranee 1m d L to 10 me& Ca2+).P r e ~ a r ae calibration curve from th'data acq&ed fo; analysis of the
workine standard solutions. and find the concentration of
Ca2+present in the test solition(s) by interpolation.
Keeping in mind that two dilutions (10-fold and 20-fold1
were made on the ongmal solut~on,calculate the percentage
calc~umpresent in the tablet uslng the follmvmgequatlon.

%Ca in tablet =

(10)(2O](Xmgc~'+IL) (0.1000 L)
- mg of tablet powder

From a large number of determinations, we find that Bufferin tablets contain a n average 12.02% calcium.

Solutions

500-mglL ca2+Stock Standard Solution.

carbonate as the primary standard.

Solution B. Pass solution Athrough a cone of coarse filter paper, and then dilute 5.0 mLofthe filtrate to 100.0 m1,
with deionized water.
Test Solution. Dilute 5.0 mL of solution B and 10.0 mL
of 5% lanthanum solution to 50.0 mL with deionized water.

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