Residual solvents determination in drug products by static headspace-gas chromatography

Summary Two static headspace selective methods for residual solvents belonging to Class I, II and III have been developed, optimized and validated for drug products, which are insoluble in water. The methods give very good sensitivities (detection limits under 10 ppm) and precision (under 5.5% RSD) for all solvents. The detection limit for benzene was 0.1 ppm, in concordance with Pharmacopoeia requirements. During method optimization we found that sample volume and water content have a critical influence on the sensitivity. From our data, it is beneficial to choose low sample volume. If sample solubility in the organic solvent allows it, the optimum sample volume is between 0.1 and 0.3 mL. For drug products with water content greater than 7%, the increase in sensitivity produced by water presence should be taken into consideration, otherwise inconsistent recovery data and underestimation of residual solvent content will happen. The headspace vial volume has a critical influence on system precision. Presented at Balaton Symposium '01 on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 2–4, 2001     

Ruggedness testing of gas chromatographic method for residual solvents in pharmaceutical substances

Summary Ruggedness testing is performed on a gas chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of residual solvents in steroids. Eight experimental variables or factors which were expected to influence the quantitative results were selected. These factors were divided into two independent groups, i.e. four factors related to the injection process and four factors related to separation and detection. In order to determine interaction between factors and quadratic effects, a central composite design was selected for the set-up of the experiments. Because in the method an internal standard is used, relative peak area was used as response. A deviation of up to 2.5% per factor for the quantitative results was regarded as acceptable. Other responses studied are related to the system suitability. Observed main, quadratic and interaction effects were translated into rugged intervals of the experimental variables by graphical presentation. It was found that besides main effects significant interaction effects were present, for example between the temperature of the injector and the split-flow. Interaction effects can easily result in the reduction of the rugged intervals by a factor of 2. The calculated rugged intervals were compared with the precision of the instrument or factor settings in order to estimate the ruggedness of the factors. Eventually, the maximum effect of the variation in the instrument settings on the quantitative results regarding the precision of the factor settings was found to be only 2.2%. Overall, the method proved to be rugged for most factors, except for the split-flow of the injector for which the method was only rugged to a limited extent.     

Validation and uncertainty assessment of rapid extraction and clean-up methods for the determination of 16 organochlorine pesticide residues in vegetables

Rapid and practical extraction methods were developed using dichloromethane and ethyl acetate for the routine determination of 16 organochlorine pesticide residues and applied to approximately 30 fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber and pepper) by using GC-ECD. The procedures were validated. Measurement uncertainties were calculated by applying bottom-up approach. The average recoveries obtained for each pesticide ranged between 65 and 102% at three fortification levels. The uncertainties of the analytical methods were lower than 21 and 16% with and without recovery correction, respectively. The calculated limits of detection and quantification were typically less than 1 ng g⁻¹ that were much lower than the maximum residue levels.     

A generic static headspace gas chromatography method for determination of residual solvents in drug substance

In order to increase productivity of drug analysis in the pharmaceutical industry, an efficient and sensitive generic static headspace gas chromatography (HSGC) method was successfully developed and validated for the determination of 44 classes 2 and 3 solvents of International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) guideline Q3C, as residual solvents in drug substance. In order to increase the method sensitivity and efficiency in sample equilibration, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was selected as the sample diluent based on its high capacity of dissolving drug substance, stability and high boiling point. The HS sample equilibration temperature and equilibration time are assessed in ranges of 125–150 °C and 8–15 min, respectively. The results indicate that the residual solvents in 200 mg of drug substance can be equilibrated efficiently in HS sampler at 140 °C for 10 min. The GC parameters, e.g. sample split ratio, carrier flow rate and oven temperature gradient are manipulated to enhance the method sensitivity and separation efficiency. The two-stage gradient GC run from 35 to 240 °C, using an Agilent DB-624 capillary column (30 m long, 0.32 mm I.D., 1.8 μm film thickness), is suitable to determine 44 ICH classes 2 and 3 solvents in 30 min. The method validation results indicate that the method is accurate, precise, linear and sensitive for solvents assessed. The recoveries of most of these solvents from four drug substances are greater than 80% within the method determination ranges. However, this method is not suitable for the 10 remaining ICH classes 2 and 3 solvents, because they are too polar (e.g. formic acid and acidic acid), or have boiling points higher than 150 °C, (e.g. anisol and cumene). In comparison with the previous published methods, this method has a much shorter sample equilibration time, a better separation for many solvents, a higher sensitivity and a broader concentration range.     

An overview of contemporary method development in liquid chromatography

Summary This paper provides an overview of method development in liquid chromatography. It is explained why every practicing chromatographer needs to understand the process of method development. Thus, this paper is directed towards chromatographers who develop new separation methods, as well as to those who apply published methods. The method-development process is first explained in broad terms, after which the different aspects of the process are described in more detail.First, attention is paid to the initial stages of method development, which consist of the accurate definition of the separation problem and the selection of the most suitable chromatographic method. Method-development expert systems are discussed with regards to their applicability in this area.Selectivity optimization is shown to rely on three main factors,i. e. the selection of the parameter space, the experimental design and the optimization criterion. Selectivity-optimization procedures are described very briefly.System optimization concerns those factors which do not affect the chemistry of the system (mobile and stationary phase), but are essentially determining the analysis time and the sensitivity.The method-validation stage can be divided into three main parts: qualitative method validation (i.e. peak integrity and identity), calibration and quantitative method validation. The requirements of calibration procedures are briefly reviewed and an inventory of method-validation procedures is presented.     

非共轭单体的活性自由基聚合进展

活性自由基聚合经过十多年的发展, 已成为一种有效的高分子设计手段。代表性的活性自由基聚合技术包括氮氧调控自由基聚合(NMP), 原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)和可逆加成-断裂链转移(RAFT)聚合或通过黄原酸酯交换法设计大分子(MADIX)。这些技术已成功应用到多数共轭单体上, 但对非共轭单体的聚合控制还不太成功。本文总结了几类适合非共轭单体的活性自由基(共)聚合方法, 主要有RAFT MADIX 体系, 某些 ATRP 体系, 碘退化转移体系及近年新出现的有机碲调控自由基聚合(TERP)和有机锑调控自由基聚合(SBRP)体系, 其中, TERP 和SBRP 的独特性值得关注。     

Quantification of residual monomer in polylactide by gas chromatographic internal standard method

An analytical method has been developed to quantitatively determine the residual lactide monomer in polylactide (PLA) using an internal standard method of gas chromatography (GC). The experimental results showed that diphenyl ether (DPE) was an appropriate internal standard for quantitative analysis of residual lactide in PLA. PLA and DPE were dissolved in dichloromethane and precipitated in hexane. At the same time, the residual lactide in PLA and DPE as an internal standard were extracted to hexane from the polymer solution. The resulting solution could be directly injected into a GC system. Therefore, the residual lactide was determined quantitatively using an internal standard method of GC. This method is practical for measuring the residual lactide content in PLA. When the lactide content is 5.0%, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measurements is 1.7%, while RSD is 6.9% at the low level of 0.4%, which indicates that the method is sufficiently precise.     

Comparison of enantioselective reductions using bead and monolith ‘disk’ polymer formulations of CBS catalysts

Two polymer-supported versions of the Corey, Bakshi, and Shibata (CBS) catalyst were prepared and examined. Polymeric beads, with the auxiliary bound in pendant and crosslinked fashion, were prepared utilizing an improved procedure based upon earlier work. Optimization of a procedure for ketone reduction gives results that match those in solution. Attempted reuse gave mixed results. For comparison purposes, CBS functionalized monoliths were formed and tested but performed poorly.     

The role of metrology in chemistry in the upholding of public health and food safety in Hong Kong

The Government Laboratory has been involved in the provision of analytical and advisory services since its formal establishment in 1913 in support of the needs of the community and the commitments of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. One of the earliest areas of work involves the testing of food samples for maintenance of public health and food safety. Remarkable advances in technology in recent years coupled with the introduction of new policies and regulations, the launching of new international standards and requirements have all contributed to significant and ever-rising demand of accurate, specific, comparable and traceable measurements using the latest technologies for a wide variety of additives, contaminants, residues and genetically modified ingredients in food.Metrology, the science of measurement, has always played a key role in the development and validation of analytical methodologies in the Government Laboratory for the realization of its measurements to the highest level of accuracies and traceability to internationally recognized standards. Besides the application of the latest analytical technologies such as isotope dilution mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, real-time polymerase chain reactions, etc., the Analytical and Advisory Services Division of the Laboratory develops a quality assurance system in full compliance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and endeavours to ensure that every analytical methods are validated with the best applicable means and are fit for the intended purposes. In this presentation, the role and application of metrology in chemistry in the measurements pertaining to public health and food safety work undertaken by the Government Laboratory are discussed.Presented at International Symposium on Metrology in Chemistry, 2004 Beijing, China.     

Determination of the residual ethanol in hydroalcoholic sealed hard gelatin capsules by static headspace gas chromatography with immiscible binary solvents

Static headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC) with immiscible binary solvents is described to quantitatively determine the residual ethanol used to seal the hard gelatin capsules by liquid encapsulated and microspray sealing (LEMS; cfs 1200, Greenwood, SC, USA). The effects of decane, dodecane, heptane, 0.1 M HCl, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and dimethyl sulfoxide on the method sensitivity are compared. It is observed that the ethanol headspace concentrations can be increased by fourfolds when aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents are added into the aqueous sample solutions in a HS vial. In addition, a mathematic model based on the concentration equilibriums of liquid–liquid and liquid–gas phases is derived to quantitatively describe the ethanol headspace concentrations versus the volumes of the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents. The proposed model fits well to the experimental data. The impacts of the oven temperatures and vial equilibration times on the ethanol headspace concentrations are also investigated. Furthermore, the potential interferences of the capsule placebo and hard gelatin capsule shells on the selectivity and quantitation of the method are discussed. The linearity is validated from 5 μg/mL to 500 μg/mL. The limit of quantitation is 5 μg/mL. The accuracy is determined to be 100.8 ± 6%. Finally, this method is successfully used to determine the residual ethanol in the sealed capsules of 5 mg and 10 mg developmental Drug A, and 100 mg and 200 mg developmental Drug B.     

Development and validation of a normal-phase high-performance thin layer chromatographic method for the analysis of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in co-trimoxazole tablets

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is often the ultimate mortal cause for immunocompromised individuals, such as HIV/AIDS patients. Currently, the most effective medicine for treatment and prophylaxis is co-trimoxazole, a synergistic combination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP). In order to ensure a continued availability of high quality co-trimoxazole tablets within resource-limited countries, Medicines Regulatory Authorities must perform quality control of these products. However, most pharmacopoeial methods are based on high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods. Because of the lack of equipment, the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) laboratory decided to develop and validate an alternative method of analysis based on the TLC technique with densitometric detection, for the routine quality control of co-trimoxazole tablets. SMX and TMP were separated on glass-backed silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates in a high-performance thin layer chromatograph (HPTLC). The mobile phase was comprised of toluene, ethylacetate and methanol (50:28.5:21.5, v:v:v). Detection wavelength was 254 nm. The R_f values were 0.30 and 0.61 for TMP and SMX, respectively. This method was validated for linearity, precision, trueness, specificity and robustness. Cochran's criterion test indicated homoscedasticity of variances for the calibration data. The F-tests for lack-of-fit indicated that straight lines were adequate to describe the relationship between spot areas and concentrations for each compound. The percentage relative standard deviations for repeatability and time-different precisions were 0.98 and 1.32, and 0.83 and 1.64 for SMX and TMP, respectively. Percentage recovery values were 99.00% ± 1.83 and 99.66% ± 1.21 for SMX and TMP, respectively. The method was found to be robust and was then successfully applied to analyze co-trimoxazole tablet samples.     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides derived from a novel unsymmetrical diamine monomer: 1,4-(2′,4″-diaminodiphenoxy)benzene

A new aromatic unsymmetrical diamine monomer, 1,4-(2′,4″-diaminodiphenoxy)benzene (OAPB), was successfully synthesized in three steps using hydroquinone as starting material and polymerized with various aromatic tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides, including 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) via the conventional two-step thermal or chemical imidization method to produce a series of the unsymmetrical aromatic polyimides. The polyimides were characterized by solubility tests, viscosity measurements, IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction studies, and thermogravimetric analysis. The polyimides obtained had inherent viscosities ranged of 0.38-0.58 dL/g, and were easily dissolved in common organic solvents. The resulting strong and flexible PI films exhibited excellent thermal stability with the decomposition temperature (at 5% weight loss) of above 505 °C and the glass transition temperature in the range of 230-299 °C. Moreover, the polymer films showed outstanding mechanical properties with the tensile strengths of 41.4-108.5 MPa, elongation at breaks of 5-9% and initial moduli of 1.15-1.68 GPa.     

聚合物流变学教学研究

从流变学教学的规律出发,提出了教学过程中应该注意的问题：首先要培养学生对本课程的兴趣,以此引导学生进入流变学的大门;提出在学习的过程中注重基本概念的学习,要理解掌握流变学基本概念,教学过程中抓住重点,突破难点,并运用生动形象的实例解释抽象的理论和概念;将流变学方法与本专业紧密结合,从流变学的角度寻找解决问题的方法;将国内外流变学最新动态介绍给学生,扩大学生的视野,积极创新;注意严格考核,提高学生学习质量。     

聚合物合成工艺设计相关课程教学的研究与探讨

聚合物合成工艺设计课程是高分子材料及相关专业的一门重要课程。根据聚合物合成工艺设计及相关课程的特点,对教学内容和手段进行了必要的调整和更新。针对教学过程中出现的问题,提出了课程相关内容组合的方法。在原有课程的基础上,增加了化工软件基础、聚合物生产设备和化工实习等课程和实践环节。采用了相关课程密切配合、增强学生主观能动性及和教师互动等手段,使理论知识和实践应用有机的结合。通过以上方法,教学取得了良好的效果,并达到了预期教学目标。