Spectrophotometric determination of fluocortolone in tablets using 1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine

The proposed method for the determination of fluocortolone is based on the formation of a stable, yellow coloured hydrazone product with 1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine as the reagent. Heating at 85°C for 2 h was found to be necessary to ensure optimal hydrazone formation in acidified 1-propanol as the solvent. The detection limit was 1.2 μg/ml. This method when applied for the determination of fluocortolone in pharmaceutical formulations gave precise and reproducible results.