Application of a vidicon spectrometer for simultaneous multicomponent drug determinations.

A rapid scanning vidicon spectrometer has been evaluated for the simultaneous determination of drugs in mixtures, without a separation step. Spectral data in the ultraviolet region are collected on-line with a small computer at repetition rates of 100 scans per second. Absorbance data at several wavelengths are processed by matrix equations to resolve them into the concentration of each component in each mixture. Results are reported for two-component mixtures of procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide in serum, for two-component aqueous mixtures of butabarbital and seconbarbital, and for seven-component aqueous mixtures of phenobarbital, diphenylhydantoin, aminophylline, acetaminophen, salicylamide, phenylbutazone, and secobarbital. We conclude that the computer-inter-faced vidicon spectrometer is a viable tool for simultaneous multicomponent determinations.