Quantitative determination of ibuprofen in an Advil PM
tablet based on fluorimetry.
Tymo Zwakenberg
S4326253
Date of experiment: September 21, 2022
Date of submission: September 23, 2022
Sjoerd Wiarda
1
,Table of contents
Introduction and theory 3
Materials and methods 4
Results and discussion 5
Conclusion 12
References 13
Appendices 14
2
, Introduction and theory
The usage of fluorimetry as an analytical method is based on the fluorescence of a certain
compound. With fluorescence, an excited state (excitation) and an emission state (emission) can
occur because of the behaviour of photons. When the analysed molecule enters its excited state, it
subsequently loses energy because of vibrational relaxation and goes back to its ground state. A
schematic overview of this process can be seen in figure 1 (Verpoorte s.d.).
Figure 1: Jablonski diagram of the fluorescence process (Marchina, 2015).
Fluorimetry is considered to be a selective technique, since it has the characteristic that relatively
few substances show corresponding fluorescence's and often have their own particular emission and
excitation wavelength. Fluorimetry is therefore believed to be a suitable method for the quantitative
measurements as stated in the lab manual. The principle of fluorescence that determines this
experiment relies on the setup and usage of the used machine. The apparatus holds a cuvette which
lights gets send through after it has passed the monochromator that on its turn selects the desired
wavelength. The light that Is absorbed and emitted by the sample from the cuvette is then detected.
Measurements are plotted on a graph with intensity of the fluorescence on the y-axis and
wavelength on the x-axis (Verpoorte s.d.).
The substance that will be tested is ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory drug with similar
properties to aspirin, but considered to have less adverse effects on the stomach. It has analgesic
properties, inhibits prostaglandin synthesis and does not have an effect on the adrenopituitary axis
(Kantor, 1979).
Three ways of determining the quantity of ibuprofen in an Advil PM tablet are executed during the
experiment. The first method relies on a common external calibration curve, the second method
relies on a standard addition and the last method relies on synchronous fluorescence. For each
method a control measurement is executed as well alongside the ibuprofen measurement. In order
to execute the experiment properly, different aims are proposed: Determining the optimum
emission and excitation spectrum, if interference is occurring and if interference can be overcome.
3
tablet based on fluorimetry.
Tymo Zwakenberg
S4326253
Date of experiment: September 21, 2022
Date of submission: September 23, 2022
Sjoerd Wiarda
1
,Table of contents
Introduction and theory 3
Materials and methods 4
Results and discussion 5
Conclusion 12
References 13
Appendices 14
2
, Introduction and theory
The usage of fluorimetry as an analytical method is based on the fluorescence of a certain
compound. With fluorescence, an excited state (excitation) and an emission state (emission) can
occur because of the behaviour of photons. When the analysed molecule enters its excited state, it
subsequently loses energy because of vibrational relaxation and goes back to its ground state. A
schematic overview of this process can be seen in figure 1 (Verpoorte s.d.).
Figure 1: Jablonski diagram of the fluorescence process (Marchina, 2015).
Fluorimetry is considered to be a selective technique, since it has the characteristic that relatively
few substances show corresponding fluorescence's and often have their own particular emission and
excitation wavelength. Fluorimetry is therefore believed to be a suitable method for the quantitative
measurements as stated in the lab manual. The principle of fluorescence that determines this
experiment relies on the setup and usage of the used machine. The apparatus holds a cuvette which
lights gets send through after it has passed the monochromator that on its turn selects the desired
wavelength. The light that Is absorbed and emitted by the sample from the cuvette is then detected.
Measurements are plotted on a graph with intensity of the fluorescence on the y-axis and
wavelength on the x-axis (Verpoorte s.d.).
The substance that will be tested is ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory drug with similar
properties to aspirin, but considered to have less adverse effects on the stomach. It has analgesic
properties, inhibits prostaglandin synthesis and does not have an effect on the adrenopituitary axis
(Kantor, 1979).
Three ways of determining the quantity of ibuprofen in an Advil PM tablet are executed during the
experiment. The first method relies on a common external calibration curve, the second method
relies on a standard addition and the last method relies on synchronous fluorescence. For each
method a control measurement is executed as well alongside the ibuprofen measurement. In order
to execute the experiment properly, different aims are proposed: Determining the optimum
emission and excitation spectrum, if interference is occurring and if interference can be overcome.
3
