A simple, accurate, and cost-efficient UV-Visible spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of naphazoline nitrate (NPZ) in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The suggested method was based on the nucleophilic substitution reaction of NPZ with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate sodium salt in alkaline medium at 80°C to form an orange/red-colored product of maximum absorption (λmax) at 483 nm. The stoichiometry of the reaction was determined via Job's method and limiting logarithmic method, and the mechanism of the reaction was postulated. Under the optimal conditions of the reaction, Beerʼs law was obeyed within the concentration range 0.5–50 μg/mL, the molar absorptivity value (ε) was 5766.5 L × mol–1 × cm–1, Sandellʼs sensitivity value was 0.0474 μg/cm2, the limits of detection and quantification were found to be 0.2154 and 0.6529 μg/mL, respectively. The formation constant of the complex was calculated by using the Benesi–Hildebrand equation. The suggested method was successfully applied for the quantification of NPZ in pharmaceutical formulations with good accuracy and precision. Therefore, this method can be applied for routine analysis of naphazoline.
