Fluorometric determination of trioses with o-phenylphenol.

A spectrophotometric method for determining ascorbic acid based on the redox reaction between a copper (II)-2,2′-biquinoline solution and ascorbic acid was developed. The purple color of the copper (I)-2,2′-biquinoline complex formed in a buffered acetone-water solution was measured at 540 nm. Minerals, sugars, and other vitamins do not interfere when present in quantities usually found in pharmaceutical preparations. Ferrous interference was eliminated by treating the sample solution with the cation-exchange resin Dowex 50W-X12. Several single component and multivitamin formulations were satisfactorily analyzed by this method. Its high sensitivity permits measurements of quantities of ascorbic acid to 3.4 μg/ml of sample solution. The procedure is simple, rapid, and suitable for routine control.