[Separation of zoledronic acid and its related substances by ion-pair reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

A rapid and simple ion-pair reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC) has been established for the routine analysis of zoledronic acid and its related substances. The chromatographic conditions were optimized based on the satisfactory separation of zoledronic acid from imidazol-1-ylacetic acid, their retention times and peak shape. The excellent separation of zoledronic acid from its related substances, including the remaining imidazol-1-ylacetic acid used in the synthesis of zoledronic acid and other impurities of oxidation and decomposition, was achieved within 9 min on a Hypersil C8 column with UV detection at 220 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol (20%) and 5 mmo/L phosphate buffer (80%) that contains 6 mmol/L tetrabutylammonium bromide. The resolution factor of zoledronic acid from its adjacent peak was more than 2.5. This is a simple and rapid method for the routine assay of zoledronic acid.