Simultaneous HPLC-UV Determination of Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Glycolide, Lactide and Ethyl Acetate in Monomers for Producing Biodegradable Polymers

A simple, rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of glycolic acid, lactic acid, glicolide, lactide and ethyacetate in monomers for obtaining biopolymers. The separation was effected on the reversed-phase C18 column 250mm×4.6 mm with particle size 5 μ using a mobile phase mixture buffer and acetonitrile in a ratio 88:12 v/v and elution was isocratic at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL/min. The determinations were performed with a UV-Vis detector at 200 nm. The volume of the injected sample was 20 μL. Detection limits for acids and its dimers (glycolic acid, lactic acid, glicolide, lactide) and ethylacetate range between 82 and 182 ng/mL. The analytes are separated in 13 min. Recovery studies showed good results for all solutes (99–102%). The method is linear for all compounds over the concentration range tested, and shows good precision and accuracy, making it suitable for quantitation of acids and its dimers (glycolic acid, lactic acid, glicolide, lactide) and ethyl acetate in monomers.