Vibrational Band Assignment and Qualitative Analysis of Benzocaine

Abstract

In the present work the behaviour of the drug benzocaine under different storage conditions is compared. Benzocaine is an ester-linked local anesthetic. It is also used as a cutting agent in the street drugs. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of benzocaine have been recorded for the properly stored drug and for those exposed to direct sunlight for 4 h and to infrared radiations for a period of 4 h. The FTIR spectra have been employed for identification and assignment of the functional group in benzocaine. Some of the fundamental modes of vibration are identified in the spectra and their respective absorbance values are noted down. The ratio of absorbance among the various modes is calculated for all the three conditions. The internal standards of the drug under different storage conditions are compared with the normal storage condition. Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy is another method supporting drug research for qualitative and quantitative estimation of many drugs. The UV-Vis measurements carried out on the sample are used to identify the wavelength maxima. The adherence to Beer-Lambert's law is tested for the absorption peaks under different concentrations of the sample.