Spectrophotometric determination of desipramine using ammonium peroxidisulfate and the titanium(IV) thiocyanate complex

Ammonium peroxidisulfate and a titanium(IV) thiocyanate complex have been tested as analytical reagents for the determination of desipramine hydrochloride. Desipramine reacts in acid medium with ammonium peroxidisulfate, forming a coloured oxidation product; with the titanium(IV) thiocyanate complex desipramine forms a compound of the ion-pair type, which can be quantitatively extracted with chloroform. The oxidation product and the ion-pair complex exhibit maximum absorption at lambda = 656 and 355 nm, respectively. These properties have been used for the spectrophotometric determination of desipramine. Beer's law was obeyed in the ranges of 6 to 60 mu g/mL and 5 to 200 mu g/mL of desipramine hydrochloride using ammonium peroxidisulfate and the titanium(IV) thiocyanate complex, respectively.