Tania Mirza

Effect of pH, Buffer, and Viscosity on the Photolysis of Formylmethylflavin: A Kinetic Study

The kinetics of the photolysis of formylmethylflavin, a major intermediate product in the aerobic and anaerobic photolysis of riboflavin, was studied in the pH range 2.0–11.0. Formylmethylflavin and its photoproducts, lumichrome and lumiflavin, were determined in degraded solutions using a specific multicomponent spectrophotometric method. The photolysis of formylmethylflavin in alkaline medium takes place by first-order kinetics and the rate constants (kobs) at pH 7.5–11.0 range from 0.27 × 10–4 to 3.88 × 10–4 and 0.36 × 10–4 to 5.63 × 10–4 s–1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions respectively. In acid medium, the photolysis involves a second-order mechanism and the rate constants at pH 2.0–7.0 range from 1.37 to 2.11 and 2.03 to 2.94 M–1 s–1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions respectively. The rate–pH profiles for the photolysis reactions indicate the highest rate of formylmethylflavin degradation is at ~pH 4 and above pH 10. In the alkaline region, the increase in rate with pH is due to higher reactivity of the flavin triplet state. The photolysis of formylmethylflavin is catalyzed by phosphate ions and is affected by the solvent viscosity.

Photodegradation of levofloxacin in aqueous and organic solvents: A kinetic study

The kinetics of photodegradation of levofloxacin in solution on UV irradiation in the pH range 2.0-12.0 has been studied using a HPLC method. Levofloxacin undergoes first-order kinetics in the initial stages of the reaction and the apparent first-order rate constants are of the order of 0.167 to 1.807×10-3 min-1. The rate-pH profile is represented by a curve indicating the presence of cationic, dipolar and anionic species during the reaction. The singly ionized form of the molecule is non-fluorescent and is less susceptible to photodegradation. The increase in the degradation rate in the pH range 5.0-9.0 may be due to greater reactivity of the ionized species existing in that range. The rate appears to vary with a change in the degree of ionization of the species present in a particular pH range and their susceptibility to photodegradation. Above pH 9, the decrease in the rate of photodegradation may be a result of deprotonation of the piperazinyl group. The levofloxacin molecule is more stable in the pH range around 7, which is then suitable for formulation purposes. The photodegradation of levofloxacin was found to be affected by the dielectric constant and viscosity of the medium

Photoinitiated Polymerization of 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate by Riboflavin/Triethanolamine in Aqueous Solution: A Kinetic Study

The polymerization of 1–3 M 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) initiated by riboflavin/triethanolamine system has been studied in the pH range 6.0–9.0. An approximate measure of the kinetics of the reaction during the initial stages (~5% HEMA conversion) has been made to avoid the effect of any variations in the volume of the medium. The concentration of HEMA in polymerized solutions has been determined by a UV spectrophotometric method at 208 nm with a precision of ±3%. The initial rate of polymerization of HEMA follows apparent first-order kinetics and the rates increase with pH. This may be due to the presence of a labile proton on the hydroxyl group of HEMA. The second-order rate constants for the interaction of triethanolamine and HEMA lie in the range of 2.36 to 8.67 × 10−2 M−1 s−1 at pH 6.0–9.0 suggesting an increased activity with pH. An increase in the viscosity of HEMA solutions from 1 M to 3 M leads to a decrease in the rate of polymerization probably as a result of the decrease in the reactivity of the flavin triplet state. The effect of pH and viscosity of the medium on the rate of reaction has been evaluated.

Correction for Irrelevant Absorption in Multicomponent Spectrophotometric Assay of Riboflavin, Formylmethylflavin, and Degradation Products: Kinetic Applications

In the spectrophotometric assay of multicomponent systems involved in drug degradation studies, some minor or unknown degradation products may be present. These products may interfere in the assay and thus invalidate the results due to their absorption in the range of analytical wavelengths. This interference may be eliminated by the application of an appropriate correction procedure to obtain reliable data for kinetic treatment. The present study is based on the application of linear and non-linear irrelevant absorption corrections in the multicomponent spectrophotometric assay of riboflavin and formylmethylflavin during the photolysis and hydrolysis studies. The correction procedures take into account the interference caused by minor or unknown products and have shown considerable improvement in the assay data in terms of the molar balance. The treatment of the corrected data has led to more accurate kinetic results in degradation studies.

Multicomponent spectrofluorimetric method for the assay of formylmethylflavin and its hydrolytic products: Kinetic applications

A multicomponent spectrofluorimetric method has been developed for the simultaneous assay of formylmethylflavin (FMF), an intermediate product in the photolysis of riboflavin (vitamin B2), and its side-chain hydrolytic products, lumichrome (LC) in acidic solution and LC and lumiflavin (LF) in the alkaline solution as well as its ring cleavage products, 1,2-dihydro-1-methyl-2-keto-3-quinoxaline carboxylic acid (KA) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-methyl-2,3-dioxo-quinoxaline (DQ) in alkaline solution. The assay method also takes into account an oxidation product of FMF, i.e. carboxymethylflavin (CMF), in both acid and alkaline solutions. The method involves adjustment of the pH of hydrolysed solution to 2.0 to convert FMF to its protonated form, extraction of LC (acid solution) or LC and LF (alkaline solution) with chloroform and their simultaneous assay by fluorescence measurement at 478 and 530 nm, respectively. The aqueous phase is readjusted to pH 6.5, extracted with chloroform to remove undegraded FMF and used for the assay of CMF, KA and DQ at 530, 443 and 420 nm, respectively. The chloroform extract is used for the assay of FMF at 530 nm. The proposed method has been validated and applied to the study of the kinetics of a hydrolysis reaction of FMF at pH 11.0. The calibration curves for FMF and degradation products are linear in the range of 0.1-1.0 × 10-6 M. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) range from 2.54-5.75 × 10-8 M and 0.78-1.74 × 10-7 M, respectively, for these compounds. The mean recovery ranges from 99.3-102.1% with a RSD of 0.14-0.35%. Judging from the molar balance of FMF and the hydrolytic products, uniformity of analytical data during the reactions and linearity of kinetic plot, the method gives accurate results for the assay of FMF and all of its degradation products. It can be conveniently used for the assay of these compounds and for the kinetics and stability studies of FMF.

Solvent Effect on Photoinitiator Reactivity in the Polymerization of 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate

Efficacy of photoinitiators such as riboflavin (RF), camphorquinone (CQ), and safranin T (ST) and triethanolamine as a coinitiator has been compared in carrying out the polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in aqueous and organic solvents. HEMA solutions were polymerized in the presence of RF, CQ, and ST using a low intensity visible radiation source. HEMA was assayed by a UV spectrophotometric method during the initial stages of the reactions (i.e., ~5% change). A comparison of the efficacy of photoinitiators in causing HEMA polymerization showed that RF is more efficient than CQ and ST. The rate of polymerization is directly related to solvent dielectric constant and inversely related to the solvent viscosity. RF is the most efficient photoinitiator in the polymerization of HEMA and the highest rate of reaction occurs in aqueous solutions. A general scheme for the polymerization of HEMA in the presence of photoinitiators is presented.