A Reverse Phase HPLC Assay for the Determination of Calcium Pantothenate Utilizing Column Switching

Abstract A reverse phase HPLC assay utilizing column switching has been developed and validated for the determination of calcium pantothenate (CP) in several multivitamin tablet formulations. The reverse phase system utilizes a DuPont Zorbax C-8 analytical column, an automatically switched and backflushed Brownlee RP-18 guard column for the elimination of a highly retained excipient peak, 88:12 0.25M phosphate buffer:MeOH mobile phase, and 214 nm detection. Sample preparation and the switched column chromatography cycle each require approximately 15 minutes. A spiked recovery study showed linearity over the 50–150% of theory concentration range. Average recovery was 99.7%. Assay precision studies yielded sample RSD's ranging from 0.8 to 2.3%. Results obtained by this method are comparable to those obtained by the USP method.