A novel spectrophotometric approach relies on a charge transfer complex between atomoxetine with quinone-based π-acceptor. Application to content uniformity test

Atomoxetine (ATO) belongs to psychoanaleptic drugs and is utilized in attention-deficit hyperactivity syndrome treatment. In this study, two facile and selective approaches are implemented for the spectrophotometric analysis of atomoxetine. The two approaches rely on charge transfer formed between ATO base (n-donor) with p-chloranil and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ; π-acceptor). The generated complexes exhibit absorption intensity maxima at 550 and 460 nm in acetonitrile for p-chloranil and DDQ in the order. Under the optimum reaction condition, Beer’s law was followed for p-chloranil and DDQ at concentrations of 30–320 and 10–80 µg mL(− 1), respectively. The ICH guidelines were followed for work validation, and the outcomes were excellent and satisfactory. The assessment of ATO in pharmaceutical capsules using the suggested procedures was successful, and the results were contrasted with those obtained using a different published method to show accuracy and precision. Additionally, the two methods were used to assess the homogeneity of ATO content in the commercialized capsule.