Applications of Thermal Analysis and Coupled Techniques in Pharmaceutical Industry

Thermal analysis methods are well-established techniques in research laboratories of pharmaceutical industry. The robustness and sensitivity of instrumentation, the introduction of automation and of reliable software according to the industrial needs widened considerably the areas of applications in the last decade. Calibration of instruments and validation of results follow the state of the art of cGMP as for other analytical techniques. Thermal analysis techniques are especially useful for the study of the behavior of the poly-phasic systems drug substances and excipients and find a unique place for new delivery systems. Since change of temperature and moisture occur by processing and storage, changes of the solid state may have a considerable effect on activity, toxicity and stability of compounds. Current requirements of the International Conference of Harmonisation for the characterization and the quantitation of polymorphism in new entities re-enforce the position of thermal analysis techniques. This challenging task needs the use of complementary methods. Combined techniques and microcalorimetry demonstrate their advantages. This article reviews the current use of thermal analysis and combined techniques in research and development and in production. The advantage of commercially coupled techniques to thermogravimetry is emphasized with some examples. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal Analysis,Microcalorimetry and Combined Techniques for the Study of Pharmaceuticals

Modern thermal analysis, microcalorimetry and new emerging combined techniques which deliver calorimetric, microscopic and spectroscopic data offer a powerful analytical battery for the study of pharmaceuticals. These techniques are very useful in all steps of development of new drug products as well as methods for quality control in production. The characterization of raw materials enables to understand the relationships between polymorphs, solvates and hydrates and to choose the proper development of new drug products with very small amount of material in a very short time. Information on stability, purity is valuable for new entities as well as for marketed drug substances from different suppliers. Excipients which vary from single organic or inorganic entity to complexes matrixes or polymers need to be characterized and properly controlled. The thermodynamic phase-diagrams are the basis of the studies of drug-excipients interactions. They are very useful for the development of new delivery systems. A great number of new formulations need proper knowledge of the behaviour of the glass transition temperature of the components. Semi-liquid systems, interactions in aqueous media are also successfully studied by these techniques. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of carbon nanotubes and analytical methods for their determination in environmental and biological samples: A review

In the present paper, a critical overview of the most commonly used techniques for the characterization and the determination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is given on the basis of 170 references (2000–2014). The analytical techniques used for CNT characterization (including microscopic and diffraction, spectroscopic, thermal and separation techniques) are classified, described, and illustrated with applied examples. Furthermore, the performance of sampling procedures as well as the available methods for the determination of CNTs in real biological and environmental samples are reviewed and discussed according to their analytical characteristics. In addition, future trends and perspectives in this field of work are critically presented.     

Sample preparation methods for subsequent determination of metals and non-metals in crude oil—A review

In this review sample preparation strategies used for crude oil digestion in last ten years are discussed focusing on further metals and non-metals determination. One of the main challenges of proposed methods has been to overcome the difficulty to bring crude oil samples into solution, which should be compatible with analytical techniques used for element determination. On this aspect, this review summarizes the sample preparation methods for metals and non metals determination in crude oil including those based on wet digestion, combustion, emulsification, extraction, sample dilution with organic solvents, among others. Conventional methods related to wet digestion with concentrated acids or combustion are also covered, with special emphasis to closed systems. Trends in sample digestion, such as microwave-assisted digestion using diluted acids combined with high-efficiency decomposition systems are discussed. On the other hand, strategies based on sample dilution in organic solvents and procedures recommended for speciation analysis are reported as well as the use of direct analysis in view of the recent importance for crude oil field. A compilation concerning sample preparation for crude oil provided by official methods as well as certified reference materials available for accuracy evaluation is also presented and discussed.     

Analysis of questioned documents: A review

During the last years (2000–2014), many publications concerning the forensic analysis of questioned documents have been published, and new techniques and methodologies are nowadays employed to overcome forensic caseworks. This article reviews a comprehensive collection of the works focused on this issue, including dating studies, the analysis of inks from pens and printers, the analysis of paper, the analysis of other samples related to questioned documents and studies on intersecting lines. These sections highlight the most relevant analytical studies by a wide range of analytical techniques. Separation and spectrometric techniques are critically discussed and compared, emphasizing the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Finally, concluding remarks on the research published are included.