Spectrofluorometric determination of naproxen in tablets

A rapid, selective, sensitive and simple fluorescence method was developed for the direct determination of naproxen in tablets. The tablets were triturated, dissolved in either NH 3 or NaOH solution, sonicated, filtered and then direct fluorescence emission was read at 353 nm (exciting at 271 nm). In order to validate the method the results were compared with those obtained by the USP XXIV NF 19 Pharmacopeia reference method (high performance liquid chromatography). The slope, intercept and variances which are associated with the regression coefficient calculated with bivariate least square (BLS) regression indicate that both methods are statistically comparable. The recoveries were excellent, except in tablets containing the antibiotic tetracycline. In this latter case a correction procedure is necessary.