Application of nucleophilic substitution reaction for sensitive determination of heptaminol hydrochloride in pharmaceuticals

A straightforward and sensitive spectrofluorimetric approach was established for the determination of heptaminol hydrochloride (HTM-HCl) based on the derivatization of the drug through its reaction with 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl chloride (Dansyl chloride). The reagent underwent a nucleophilic substitution of its chlorine atom with HTM to give N-(5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-6-amino-2-methylheptan-2-ol. The highly luminescent derivative was extracted using methylene chloride and subjected to analysis at an excitation wavelength of 345 nm and an emission wavelength of 490 nm. The chemical reaction occurred within an aqueous environment buffered with a 0.1 M borate buffer solution adjusted to pH 10.5. Experimental findings indicate that the proposed method displays sensitivity and linearity across a concentration range from 0.03 to 2 µg mL^− 1. The method achieves lower detection and quantification limits of 0.016 and 0.048 µg mL^− 1, respectively. The analytical validation of this method followed the guidelines outlined by the International Council of Harmonization (ICH). This approach was applied effectively for quantifying the medication in both tablet and oral drops formulations available on the market, demonstrating excellent recovery of 98.95 ± 0.45 for tablets and 99.37 ± 0.24 for oral drops with no interference from excipients.