Sterility 71
Where the label states that Ampicillin is sterile, it meets the requirements when tested as directed for
Membrane Filtration under
Test for Sterility of the Product to be Examined, except to dissolve 6 g in 800 mL of
Fluid D containing sufficient sterile penicillinase to inactivate the ampicillin and to swirl the vessel until solution is complete before filtering.
Assay
Mobile phase
Prepare a suitable filtered and degassed mixture of water, acetonitrile, 1 M monobasic potassium phosphate, and 1 N acetic acid (909:80:10:1). Make adjustments if necessary (see
System Suitability under
Chromatography 621).
Diluent
Mix 10 mL of 1 M monobasic potassium phosphate and 1 mL of 1 N acetic acid, dilute with water to 1000 mL, and mix.
Standard preparation
Dissolve a suitable quantity of
USP Ampicillin RS, accurately weighed, in
Diluent to obtain a solution having a known concentration of about 1 mg per mL, using shaking and sonication, if necessary, to achieve complete dissolution. Use this solution promptly after preparation.
Assay preparation
Transfer an accurately weighed quantity of Ampicillin, equivalent to about 100 mg of anhydrous ampicillin, to a 100-mL volumetric flask, add about 75 mL of Diluent, shake and sonicate, if necessary, to achieve complete dissolution, dilute with Diluent to volume, and mix. Use this solution promptly after preparation.
Resolution solution
Dissolve caffeine in Standard preparation to obtain a solution containing about 0.12 mg per mL.
Chromatographic system (see Chromatography 621)
The liquid chromatograph is equipped with a 254-nm detector, a 4-mm × 5-cm pre-column containing 5- to 10-µm packing L1, and a 4-mm × 30-cm analytical column containing 5- to 10-µm packing L1. The flow rate is about 2 mL per minute. Chromatograph the
Resolution solution, and record the peak responses as directed for
Procedure: the resolution,
R, between the caffeine and the ampicillin peaks is not less than 2.0. The relative retention times are about 0.5 for ampicillin and 1.0 for caffeine. Chromatograph the
Standard preparation, and record the peak responses as directed for
Procedure: the capacity factor,
k¢, is not more than 2.5, the tailing factor is not more than 1.4, and the relative standard deviation for replicate injections is not more than 2.0%.
Procedure
Separately inject equal volumes (about 20 µL) of the
Standard preparation and the
Assay preparation into the chromatograph, record the chromatograms, and measure the responses for the major peaks. Calculate the quantity, in µg, of ampicillin (C
13H
19NO
4S) in each mg of the Ampicillin taken by the formula:
100(CP / W)(rU / rS),
in which
C is the concentration, in mg per mL, of
USP Ampicillin RS in the
Standard preparation; P is the potency, in µg of ampicillin per mg, of
USP Ampicillin RS;
W is the weight, in mg, of Ampicillin taken; and
rU and
rS are the peak responses obtained from the
Assay preparation and the
Standard preparation, respectively.