Resonance Rayleigh-scattering method for the determination of sildenafil citrate in a pharmaceutical formulation using Evans blue.

A highly sensitive resonance Rayleigh-scattering (RRS) method for the determination of sildenafil citrate has been developed, based on the fact that sildenafil (Sild) reacted with Evans Blue (EB) to form an ion-association complex in pH 1.1 - 4.6 aqueous solution. This resulted in a significant enhancement of the RRS intensity, and a new spectrum appeared. The wavelength of the maximum RRS was at 365 nm, and other scattering peaks were at 400, 442, 470 and 534 nm, respectively. The intensity of RRS was directly proportional to the concentration of Sild in the range 0 - 11.5 microg ml(-1), and the detection limit for Sild (3 sigma) was 30.3 ng ml(-1). The composition of the ion-association complex was Sild:EB = 1:1, as established by Job's method. The method had good selectivity and could be applied to the determination of Sild in the aqueous phase without using organic solvent extraction. The method was simple and rapid. In addition, the reaction mechanism and the reason for RRS enhancement were considered.