Determination of aspirin and salicylic acid by reverse-phase liquid chromatography.

Buffered solid dosage forms containing aspirin, magnesium hydroxide, and aluminum hydroxide are blended with acidic ethanol to extract the aspirin and salicylic acid rapidly. The resulting preparation is then immediately injected onto a 4.6 mm x 3 cm 5 micron reverse-phase column. Aspirin and free salicylic acid are determined simultaneously. The run time is less than 2 min. The total time from the initiation of sample extraction to completion of the separation is less than 5 min.