Paracetamol (N-acetyl-4-aminophenol) is
widely used as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical
preparations. This substance is mainly
used as an alternative to aspirin because of its
analgesic and antipyretic activity. Analytical
tests for paracetamol have been discussed in
reviews [1,2].
Several analytical procedures using a separatory
technique such as TLC [3 5], HPLC [6-9]
and GC [10,11] or the use of an ion-exchange
resin [12] have been proposed for the determination
of paracetamol. Spectrophotometric determinations
for paracetamol in combination
with caffeine [13] have also been described, as
well as for paracetamol with salicylamide or
with oxyphenbutazone and salicylamide
through nitrosation and subsequent chelation
[14,15]. However, the majority of these methods
require lengthy treatments and are not
suitable for routine analysis. Voltamperometric