title: Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for assessing the deterioration of atropine-oxime mixtures employed as antidotes in the treatment of nerve agent poisoning.
abstract: A set of reversed-phase HPLC conditions for determining the degradation of atropine and the oxime (pralidoxime, obidoxime, or HI-6) in autoinjectors designed for use against nerve agent poisoning is described. The assay conditions for atropine do not require its prior separation from the large molar excess of oxime since both the atropine and tropic acid peaks elute well clear of the oxime and its degradation products and the phenolic preservatives. Further dilution of the sample and simple changes to the mobile phase then provide conditions for the oxime and its major degradation products to be quantitated.
authors.affiliation: Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Paddle
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dowling
mesh_terms: D001285:Atropine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000506:poisoning*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004355:Drug Stability; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D010091:Oximes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010666:Phenylpropionates / Q000032:analysis; D011041:Poisoning / Q000188:drug therapy; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D010091:Oximes; D010666:Phenylpropionates; D001285:Atropine; C011377:tropic acid