Determination of thiamine using continuous flow molecular emission cavity analysis.

A continuous flow method for the determination of thiamine hydrochloride (20.0-240.0 microgram ml(-1), 5.9 x 10(-5)-7.1 x 10(-4)m) is described. The sample was mixed with an excess of sodium hydroxide and remained in the delay coil for 20 min at 90 degrees C. The solution was then mixed with an excess of orthophosphoric acid and the hydrogen sulphide evolved was transferred continuously into the cavity to generate a molecular++ emission of S2. The analysis is completely automated, requires no sample pre-treatment and samples can be analysed at a rate of 30 samples h(-1) with a relative error of 1-2%. The method was evaluated by carrying out an interference study with common excipients and other water-soluble vitamins, a recovery study and by the analysis of commercial formulations. Results compared well with those obtained using the official method. The method was also applied to content uniformity tests.