Near-infrared spectroscopy is evaluated as an on-line technique for monitoring the homogeneity of a pharmaceutical blend during the blending process. Blends containing 10% sodium benzoate (model active), which provided an aromatic functionality typical of many pharmaceutical compounds, 39% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH102), 50% lactose, and 1% magnesium stearate were developed to mimic the properties of an actual pharmaceutical blend. A twin-shell V-blender was modified to allow installation of a diffuse reflectance fiber-optic probe at the axis of rotation, and spectra were collected during three experiments using a commercially available near-infrared spectrophotometer. In each experiment, blender control and spectral data collection were controlled by a compilation of software packages. The experiments detected spectral changes which eventually converged to a point of constant variance. Further analysis of the spectral data showed the blend is homogeneous long before a typical blending period is complete. Near-infrared spectroscopy has proven to be a feasible and effective method for the "real time" noninvasive determination of homogeneity in a pharmaceutical blend.

The Chemiluminescent Nitrogen Detector (CLND) for use with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) allows for the low-level detection of nitrogen-containing compounds with simple quantitation. The nitrogen selective detector's equimolar response (i.e., equal response for nitrogen independent of its chemical environment) allows for any nitrogen-containing compound to be quantitated as long as the number of nitrogens are known. The HPLC-CLND provides a new detection method for analytes that are not available in large quantities or have unknown chemical or physical characteristics such as oxidation products, metabolites, or impurities. Ethoxyquin is a primary antioxidant that is used to preserve many food products and animal feeds. HPLC-CLND is used in the study of the oxidation products of ethoxyquin because limited quantities of these compounds are available and subsequent calibration curves are difficult to maintain. HPLC-CLND as a new method of detection has been evaluated for its equimolarity of response, linear range, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), with carbon dioxide as the solvent, was tested for its ability to remove common reactive impurities from several pharmaceutical excipient powders including starch, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Extraction of the small molecule impurities, formic acid and formaldehyde, was conducted using SFE methods under conditions that did not result in visible physical changes to polymeric excipient powders. It could be shown that spiked, largely surface-bound, impurities could be removed effectively; however, SFE could only remove embedded impurities in the excipient particles after significant exposure times due to slow diffusion of the impurities to the particle surfaces. Attempts at hydrogen peroxide extraction were hindered by its low solubility in CO2, thereby effectively precluding SFE for removal of hydrogen peroxide from excipients. This work suggests that SFE will only be commercially useful for removal of low molecular weight impurities in polymeric excipients when migration of the impurities to the particle surfaces is sufficiently rapid for extraction to be completed in a reasonable time frame.

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