Flow-injection chemiluminescence determination of dihydralazine sulfate based on hexacyanoferrate(III) oxidation sensitized by eosin Y

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of dihydralazine sulfate (DHZS) is described. The method is based on the reaction between DHZS and hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline solution to give weak CL signal, which is dramatically enhanced by eosin Y. The CL emission allows quantitation of DHZS concentration in the range 0.02–2.8 μg ml−1 with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.012 μg ml−1. The experimental conditions for the CL reaction are optimized and the possible reaction mechanism is discussed. The method has been applied to the determination of DHZS in pharmaceutical preparations and compared well with the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.