title: Determination of specific absorbance (A|) for Zaleplon (Sonata) by spectrophotometry.
abstract: Specific absorbance (A|) is the maximum absorbance of a 1% solution over a 1-cm path length as measured by a spectrophotometer. If a reliable A| determination is available for a drug, it provides an extremely useful tool for the quantitative verification of a stock drug solution. Zaleplon was introduced into the market in 1999, and although the drug has been available for 10 years, A| has not been published in the literature. Zaleplon's A| was experimentally determined by a spectrophotometer at 229 nm in aqueous acid and verified with three independent external sources to be 1186 (1042-1262; n = 18). The experimentally determined A| of zaleplon is beneficial to a toxicology laboratory to verify the quantitative accuracy of a drug solution prior to its use in casework.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA. danderson@coroner.lacounty.gov
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Julie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Elbogen
mesh_terms: D000081:Acetamides / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000032:analysis*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000081:Acetamides; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D011743:Pyrimidines; C085665:zaleplon