Voltammetric behavior and assay of the antibiotic drug cefazolin sodium in bulk form and pharmaceutical formulation at a mercury electrode

The electrochemical behavior of the antibiotic drug cefazolin sodium (CFZ) in Britton-Robinson buffers (pH 2-11) at the mercury electrode was studied by means of dc-polarography, cyclic voltammetry, controlled-potential coulometry and square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry techniques. A validated square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric procedure was described for the trace determination of cefazolin in bulk form up to limits of detection and quantitation of 2.6 × 10−10 M and 8.6 × 10−10 M, respectively. The method was successfully applied for determination of cefazolin in pharmaceutical preparation without the necessity for samples pretreatment or any time-consuming extraction or evaporation steps prior to the analysis.