Determination of Quinine and its Derivatives with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

This article presents the results deriving from research made on the development of optimal conditions for chromatographic separation and determination of such compounds as: quinine, quinidine, and acetylquinidine. The compounds subject to analysis are used in the treatment of malaria. Three stationary phases were used in the examination: octadecyl, which is perceived by analysts as the standard one, and two aryl phases (benzylpropyl and naphthylpropyl). For the mobile phases, the following compounds were adopted: methanol, acetonitrile, and a mixture of acetonitrile/water/formic acid. The best separation of quinine, quinidine, and acetylquinidine was observed in the naphthylpropyl column with the application of methanol as the mobile phase. The coefficients of separation of these compounds with the flow of methanol of 0.8mL min(-1) were 1.17 and 1.14, respectively. However, no proper separation of the compounds was observed in the octadecyl column, regardless of the mobile form applied.