Development of a New, Simple, Sensitive and Cost-Effective Method for Estimation of Atenolol in Formulation and Bulk

Atenolol is selective 1- adrenergic receptor blocking agent with insignificant partial agonist activity and weak membrane stabilizing properties. Atenolol is official in Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) and British Pharmacopoeia (BP) and the official method for its assay is by nonaqueous titration. Literature survey revealed non-aqueous titration used for the assay of pure drug and in formulations, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC) methods for the determination of this drug from serum&urine and Colorimetric and Spectrophotometric methods to estimate this drug in its formulations. But the titrimetric method suffers from various drawbacks and is not satisfactory for pharmaceutical products. This prompted us to develop a newer, simple and cost-effective method for estimation of Atenolol in formulation and bulk. This method is based upon the reaction of Atenolol with dinitrofluorobenzene in acetone in presence of borax and dioxane to develop a yellow colour which is then determined spectrophotometrically at 389 nm (λ max of the complex formed). A series of dilutions containing atenolol 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 μg /ml were prepared among which linearity showed at the range of 2-24 μg/ml. Calibration plot was obtained by using above dilutions. By using the calibration plot the amount of atenolol present in tablet formulation and bulk was found out and the results were satisfactory and encouraging.