RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To develop an HPLC method for simultaneous determination of thimerosal and phenylmercuric compounds in chloramphenicol eye drops. METHODS: The analysis was performed on a phenyl-column with an ion-suppress mobile phase system consisting of 0.05 mol·L-1 potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution(pH adjusted to 5.5 with triethylamine)/acetonitrile(82:18, V/V)at a flow rate of 1.2 mL·min-1 at 220 nm. RESULTS: The established method had good linearity within the concentration range of 2.0-100 μg·mL-1(r>0.9990) for thimerosal and phenylmercuric acetate, with average recoveries of ≥96.9% for thimerosal and ≥99.1% for phenylmercuric acetate. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, accurate and specific for determination of thimerosal and phenylmercuric compounds in chloramphenicol eye drops.