Determination of oxycodone hydrochloride in oral solutions by high-performance thin-layer chromatography/densitometry.

A thin-layer chromatography/densitometry method was developed and validated for the determination of oxycodone hydrochloride in oral solutions by using silica gel plates. A horizontal technique was used for development of the plates. The optimum composition for the mobile phase, which provided a suitable Rf value of 0.6 for oxycodone, was propanol-acetic acid-water-25% ammonia-methanol (20 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 10). Detection was at 234 nm. Oxycodone hydrochloride was stable on the sorbent and was precisely and accurately measured in the range of 0.3-1.5 microg/band.