Radiosterilization of sulfonamides: I: determination of the effects of gamma irradiation on solid sulfonamides

Three antibiotics sulfafurazole (SFZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and sulfacetamide sodium (SSA-Na) belonging to sulfonamides were irradiated and changes in physico-chemical properties, pH, melting points, UV, IR, NMR, TLC, GC-MS, ESR characteristics, antimicrobial activities of active components were studied at normal and accelerated stability test conditions. Two radiolytic intermediates for both SFZ and SMZ and four radiolytic intermediates for SSA-Na were found in the irradiated solid samples after the GC-MS analysis. The results obtained under normal and accelerated stability test conditions were observed to be consistent with the unirradiated values. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved