The physical properties of pharmaceutical products are of vital importance, not only in predicting and optimising the quality of your product or a raw material, but also in assessing how it will behave during processing and storage.
Our Physical Sciences Laboratory provides the following services to assist you:
Particle Sizing
The particle size distribution (PSD) of your powdered, granulated material and emulsions, can determined using the Malvern Mastersizer 2000.
Using light scattering technology this instrument is able to measure particles/droplets in the size range of 0.02 μm to 2000 μm, by dispersion of the sample in an appropriate solvent.
The attainment of a specific particle size distribution is of crucial importance in obtaining the most desirable physical properties in many pharmaceutical products, whether powders, emulsions or suspensions.
Sieving may also be used for particle size analysis of powders.
Thermal Transitions (DSC)
The technique may be used to characterise any changes to your product that are brought about by heating.
For example:
- Melting point – used to assess purity and as a means of investigating potential polymorphism
- Degree of crystallinity
- Glass transition temperature
- Specific heat capacity – the amount of energy adsorbed or released by a sample as it is heated, cooled or held at a constant temperature
Rheology
The rheological characteristics of your product can be investigated using a variety of measurements under carefully controlled temperature conditions such as:
- Viscosity (as a function of shear rate)
- Viscoelasticity
- Thixotropy
- Stress relaxation and stress growth
- Yield stress and yield strain
- Creep testing
Texture
A texture analyser can be employed to assess many structural characteristics of your products.
Texture analysis can also be used to measure and investigate changes in the textural properties of products and pharmaceutical containers.
Examples include:
- Gel/bloom strength
- Fragmentation and penetrability of stoppers
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
A thermogravimetric analyser may be used to determine the change in mass of a compound under a controlled heating profile.
Potential applications of TGA include:
- Quantification of free / bound and total moisture content
- Thermal stability of materials
- Valuable alternative to Karl Fischer moisture content for stability trials
Karl Fischer Moisture Analysis
Volumetric Karl Fischer titration may be used to determine accurately the moisture content in pharmaceutical compounds down to low levels.