Chemiluminescence determination of chlorpromazine and fluphenazine in pharmaceuticals and human serum using tris(1,10-phenanthroline) ruthenium(ii)

A flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method was developed for the rapid and sensitive determination of two phenothiazine derivatives including chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPH) and fluphenazine hydrochloride (FPH). The method is based on the CL reaction of phenothiazines with Ru(phen)32+ and Ce(IV) in acidic medium. Effects of chemical variables were investigated employing central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves were linear over the range 0.030–36 µg mL−1 for CPH, and 0.030–0.50 and 0.50–20 µg mL−1 for FPH. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) were 0.020 µg mL−1 and 0.015 µg mL−1 for CPH and FPH, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of CPH and FPH in pharmaceutical formulations and human serum with good recoveries (94.5–106.4%). Sample throughput was 90 h−1.