Stability study of 2′-deoxyuridine by liquid chromatography

Abstract Previous stability studies on 2′-deoxyuridine (dUrd) made use of UV spectrophotometry. However, this technique does not allow dUrd to be determined separately from its anomer and pentopyranosyl isomers formed during acid degradation. The anomerization isomerization have been monitored by TLC before, but the separation between dUrd and its α-anomer was not optimal. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the rate constants of the degradation of dUrd, using a recently developed liquid chromatographic method. Rate constants of degradation of dUrd were determined at several pH values in the range 1–12. Studies at different temperatures showed that the Arrhenius equation is applicable at pH 1 and 7. To elucidate further the mechanism of hydrolysis in acidic media, some degradation tests were performed at pH 1 on the α-anomer and pentopyranosyl isomers of dUrd.