Three simple, sensitive, and reproducible spectrophotometric methods (A-C) for the determination of pipazethate hydrochloride (PiCl) in pure form and in pharmaceutical formulations are described. The first and second methods, A and B, are based on the oxidation of the drug by Fe3+ in the presence of o-phenanthroline (o-phen) or bipyridyl (bipy). The formation of tris-complex upon reactions with Fe3+-o-phen and/or Fe3+-bipy mixture in an acetate buffer solution of the optimum pH values was demonstrated at 510 and 522 nm, respectively, with o-phen and bipy. The third method, C, is based on the reduction of Fe(III) by PiCl in acid medium and subsequent interaction of Fe(II) with ferricyanide to form Prussian blue, which exhibits an absorption maximum at 750 nm. The concentration ranges are from 0.5 to 8, 2 to 16, and 3 to 15 microg/mL for Methods A-C, respectively. For more accurate analysis, Ringbom optimum concentration ranges were calculated. The molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, and detection and quantitation limits were calculated. The developed methods were successfully applied to the determination of PiCl in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations without any interference from common excipients. The relative standard deviations were < or =0.83% with recoveries of 98.9-101.15%.