Inverse gas chromatographic determination of solubility parameters of excipients

The principle aim of this work was an application of inverse gas chromatography (IGC) for the estimation of solubility parameter for pharmaceutical excipients. The retention data of number of test solutes were used to calculate Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (chi1,2infinity) and than solubility parameter (delta2), corrected solubility parameter (deltaT) and its components (deltad, deltap, deltah) by using different procedures. The influence of different values of test solutes solubility parameter (delta1) over calculated values was estimated. The solubility parameter values obtained for all excipients from the slope, from Guillet and co-workers' procedure are higher than that obtained from components according Voelkel and Janas procedure. It was found that solubility parameter's value of the test solutes influences, but not significantly, values of solubility parameter of excipients.     

Thermodynamics of solutions: II. Flurbiprofen and diflunisal as models for studying solvation of drug substances

Three independent methods (sublimation, solubility and solution calorimetry) were used to study the dissolution and solvation processes of diflunisal (DIF) and flurbiprofen (FBP). Thermodynamic functions for the sublimation of DIF and FBP were obtained. Concentrations of saturated solutions and standard solution enthalpies of DIF and FBP in aliphatic alcohols and individual organic solvents were measured. Correlation analysis between: (a) the thermodynamic functions for a substance in various solvents, and (b) the same functions for different compounds was carried out. The investigated substances can be arranged with increasing Gibbs energy of solvation as follows: benzoic acid_H) and in terms of entropies (_S) was analyzed. Based on the experimental data, a compensation effect of thermodynamic solubility functions of the investigated substances both in alcohols and in organic solvents was found.     

Solubility of molecular crystals: polymorphism in the light of solubility theory

The thermodynamic theory of solubility of molecular crystals in solvents is reviewed with an emphasis on solutes showing polymorphism as in case of many pharmaceuticals. The relation between solubility and binary phase diagrams of the solute solvent system is treated. The astonishing variety of possible solubility curves as a function of temperature is explained using simple models for the solution thermodynamics assuming no mixing between the solvent and solute in the solid phase, though including the case of solvates or pseudo polymorphs. In passing a new method is introduced that allows to estimate the transition temperature of enantiotropically related polymorphs from melting temperatures and enthalpies of the polymorphs.     

Separation processes for organic molecules using SCF Technologies

Supercritical fluids have been applied for many years for the separation of solutes from solids or solute mixtures in both exploratory and industrial applications. In the pharmaceutical industry the generation of pure solid states without impurities is important as the presence of impurities can result in a change in chemical properties or lead to physical instability. The literature on the separation and purification of solutes from solid matrices and solute mixtures using supercritical fluids, with the main emphasis on pharmaceutically important molecules, is reviewed in this article. Also discussed is the application of supercritical fluids in the control of process impurities such as chemical intermediates and residual solvent and in polymorphic control and chiral resolution. As the generation of organic molecules of pharmaceutical interest with high purity is important in pharmaceuticals this review additionally provides a brief overview of highly selective chemical reactions in supercritical fluids.     

The solution properties of mefenamic acid and a closely related analogue are indistinguishable in polar solvents but significantly different in nonpolar environments

This study investigates the cosolute effects of mefenamic acid (XA) and flufenamic acid (FA). These compounds serve as model of a drug discovery lead compound and a structural analogue. The activity coefficients of XA and FA in different solvents were obtained from solubility measurements at 25°C. The effect of varying concentrations of FA on the solubility of XA in four different solvents, including toluene, cyclohexane, ethanol, and an ethanol–water mixture (80:20, v/v), was investigated. The magnitude of change in the activity coefficient of XA in the presence of FA in different solvents was used to elucidate the thermodynamic effect of FA on the solubility of XA. Nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy were used to obtain molecular level information about the interactions of the compounds in solution. The presence of FA increases XA solubility in toluene and in cyclohexane as much as seven‐fold. Conversely, in ethanol and the ethanol–water mixture, similar levels of FA have essentially no effect on the solubility of XA. The solution properties investigated show that despite the close structural similarity between XA and FA, the two compounds are strongly distinguishable in nonpolar solvents. Conversely, the solution properties of the same two solutes are indistinguishable in polar solvents. A solubilization model based on solute‐cosolute interactions is presented.     

Improved group contribution parameter set for the application of solubility parameters to melt extrusion

Hot-melt extrusion is gaining importance for the production of amorphous solid solutions; in parallel, predictive tools for estimating drug solubility in polymers are increasingly demanded. The Hansen solubility parameter (SP) approach is well acknowledged for its predictive power of the miscibility of liquids as well as the solubility of some amorphous solids in liquid solvents. By solely using the molecular structure, group contribution (GC) methods allow the calculation of Hansen SPs. The GC parameter sets available were derived from liquids and polymers which conflicts with the object of prediction, the solubility of solid drugs. The present study takes a step from the liquid based SPs toward their application to solid solutes. On the basis of published experimental Hansen SPs of solid drugs and excipients only, a new GC parameter set was developed. In comparison with established parameter sets by van Krevelen/Hoftyzer, Beerbower/Hansen, Breitkreutz and Stefanis/Panayiotou, the new GC parameter set provides the highest overall predictive power for solubility experiments (correlation coefficient r = −0.87 to −0.91) as well as for literature data on melt extrudates and casted films (r = −0.78 to −0.96).     

Prediction of pharmaceutical solubility Via NRTL-SAC and COSMO-SAC

Solid phase solubility is a fundamental parameter in the design of crystallization processes. The development and optimization of crystallization processes requires screening of numerous solvent systems for which the solubility of the compound of interest has to be measured as a function of temperature and solvent composition. Tools that quickly estimate the solubility in different solvents can be very useful in the initial phases of the solvent system selection process. In this paper, we report our experience applying two thermodynamic models in the solubility estimation of pharmaceutical compounds: the NRTL-SAC method (Chen and Song, 2004, Ind Eng Chem Res 43: 8354) which provides a correlative and predictive model from limited solubility measurements, and the COSMO-SAC (Lin and Sandler, 2002, Ind Eng Chem Res 41: 899) method which predicts solubility from ab initio calculations. These theoretical methods, coupled with rapid experimental measurement for verification, provide a powerful solubility screening protocol for the development of crystallization processes.     

Solubility of drugs in aqueous solutions. Part 4. Drug solubility by the dilute approximation

As in our previous publications in this journal [Int. J. Pharm. 258 (2003a) 193; Int. J. Pharm. 260 (2003b) 283; Int. J. Pharm. 267 (2003c) 121], this paper is concerned with the solubility of poorly soluble drugs in aqueous mixed solvents. In the previous publications, the solubilities of drugs were assumed to be low enough for the so-called infinite dilution approximation to be applicable. In contrast, in the present paper, the solubilities are considered to be finite and the dilute solution approximation is employed. As before, the fluctuation theory of solutions is used to express the derivatives of the activity coefficient of a solute in a ternary solution (dilute solute concentrations in a binary solvent) with respect to the concentrations of the solvent and cosolvent. The expressions obtained are combined with a theoretical equation for the activity coefficient of the solute. As a result, the activity coefficient of the solute was expressed through the activity coefficients of the solute at infinite dilution, solute mole fraction, some properties of the binary solvent (composition, molar volume and activity coefficients of the components) and parameters reflecting the nonidealities of binary species. The expression thus obtained was used to derive an equation for the solubility of poorly soluble drugs in aqueous binary solvents which was applied in two different ways. First, the nonideality parameters were considered as adjustable parameters, determined from experimental solubility data. Second, the obtained equation was used to correct the solubilities of drugs calculated via the infinite dilution approximation. It was shown that both procedures provide accurate correlations for the drug solubility.     

Predicting aqueous solubility from structure

The aqueous solubility of a drug is one of the key physical properties that affect both its ADME profile and 'screenability' in HTS. This review critically surveys a range of methods that can be used to predict the solubility of a compound in water and presents some of the main issues that affect the applicability of different techniques. As ever, there are trade-offs to be made between the speed, accuracy and transparency of methods, but current programs can provide estimates to well within an order of magnitude in favourable cases. The need for new ways to predict solubility in more challenging systems (e.g. solvents such as DMSO and charged solutes) is discussed.     

Thermodynamic properties of flufenamic and niflumic acids--specific and non-specific interactions in solution and in crystal lattices, mechanism of solvation, partitioning and distribution

Temperature dependency of saturated vapour pressure and the thermochemical characteristics of the fusion process were measured for flufenamic acid and niflumic acid, and thermodynamic functions of sublimation, fusion and evaporation calculated. An approach to split specific and non-specific energetic terms in crystal lattices is developed. The melting points of the considered molecules correlate with the ratio between specific and non-specific interactions in crystal lattices. Temperature dependencies of the solubility in buffers with pH 2.0 and 7.4, in n-octanol and in n-hexane were measured. The thermodynamic functions of solubility, solvation and transfer processes were deduced. Specific and non-specific solvation terms were distinguished by the transfer from "inert"n-hexane to the other solvents. Comparison of the ratio between specific and non-specific interactions in solid state and in the solutions was carried out. A diagram to analyse energetic terms of partitioning and distribution processes is introduced.     

Micronization by means of supercritical fluids: possibility of application to pharmaceutical field.

The state of the art in drug micronization is briefly reviewed. The Authors propose and discuss the adoption of a new micronization technique based on supercritical fluids properties: high solvent power and selectivity, fast solute precipitation. A supercritical spray apparatus that has been designed to maximize micronization of pharmaceutical interest products is described. A preliminary scanning of supercritical solvents and cosolvents suitable to dissolve poorly soluble products is also proposed.     

Pharmaceutical applications of supercritical carbon dioxide

The supercritical state of a fluid is intermediate between that of gases and liquids. Supercritical fluids exhibit some solvent power which is tunable in function of pressure and temperature. In the pharmaceutical field, supercritical carbon dioxide is by far the most commonly used fluid; of course, the first applications of supercritical fluids were the replacement of organic solvents in extraction processes; other applications appeared during the last twenty years: supercritical fluids are also used as eluents in chromatography, as solvents in organic synthesis or for the processing of solid dosage forms by drug micronization, by the production of nanospheres, of solid dispersions, of porous polymeric matrices containing different active substances. Supercritical carbon dioxide has been proposed for encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug substances into liposomes as well as for including different active substances into cyclodextrins. There are also future prospects for the use of pressurized carbon dioxide as a sterilizing agent.     

Evaluating hydrogen-bond donor strength

A parameter that measures hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) strength of solutes is useful in modeling many biological interactions. The solvents octanol and chloroform, have about equal HBD strength and thus will accommodate the hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA) groups in solutes about equally well. Because the solvent octanol has a strong acceptor oxygen, solutes with HBD groups will favor it over chloroform on that basis. With its eight alkane carbons, octanol also favors solutes with a significant amount of alkane character, a property referred to in this paper as 'excess alkane affinity' (XAA). On the other hand, it is easier to form a cavity in the solvent chloroform, so larger solutes tend to favor that solvent. After allowing for XAA and molecular volume, the difference between log P(oct) and log P(clf) is a measure of the effective sum of HBD. This value is given the symbol epsilonalpha and appears to be on the same scale as Abraham's summation operatoralpha(2)(H).     

Thermodynamic and structural study of tolfenamic acid polymorphs

The article deals with the study of two polymorphic modifications in the space groups P2₁/c (white form) and P2₁/n (yellow form) of the tolfenamic acid. It also describes how the white form vapor pressure temperature dependence was determined by using the transpiration method and how thermodynamic parameters of the sublimation process were calculated. We have estimated the difference between the crystal lattice energies of the two polymorphic forms by solution calorimetry and found that the crystal lattice energy of the yellow form is 6.7 ± 1.2 kJ mol⁻¹ higher than that of the white form, whereas Gibbs free energies of the forms obtained from the vapor pressure temperature dependence are practically the same. The modifications under consideration are monotropically related. From the practical point of view, the white form is more preferable due to its lower crystal lattice energy and better performing procedure. We have also studied the solubility, solvation and transfer processes of the tolfenamic acid white form in buffers (with various values of pH and ionic strengths), n-hexane and n-octanol. The thermodynamic parameters of the investigated processes have been discussed and compared with those determined for others fenamates. In the study we estimated specific and non-specific contributions of the solvation enthalpic term of the fenamate molecules with the solvents as well. The driving forces of the transfer processes from the buffers with pH 7.4 and different ionic strengths to n-octanol were analyzed. It was found that the relationship between the enthalpic and entropic terms depends essentially on the ionic strength. For the considered fenamates the transfer processes of the neutral molecules and the ionic forms are enthalpy-determined, whereas for the niflumic acid this process is entropy-determined.     

Solubility enhancement of phenol and phenol derivatives in perfluorooctyl bromide

Perfluorinated solvents are gaining popularity as pulmonary ventilation fluids, but they suffer from poor solvent quality in concurrent drug delivery applications. The present study examines the use of a hydrophobic solubilizing agent capable of interacting with model drug solutes by hydrogen bonding with the purpose of enhancing solubility in perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB). A series of solubilizing agents containing a ketone carbonyl to act as a hydrogen bond acceptor and a perfluoroalkyl chain to maintain the solubility of the putative complex in PFOB are investigated. The solubility of phenol in PFOB is enhanced to the greatest extent by 1-(4-perfluorobutyl phenyl)-1-hexanone (III) where the ketone carbonyl is protected from the electron withdrawing effects of the perfluorobutyl chain by a phenyl ring. Experiments with solubilizers lacking the ketone group suggest that pi-pi bond interactions of III with phenol do not significantly enhance solubility. For a series of phenol derivatives, a rank-order correlation exists between the magnitude of solubility enhancement by III, as reflected by the calculated association constants, and the Hammett sigma parameter of the phenols. Because the O-methyl-substituted phenols do not have the ability to hydrogen bond, their solubility is not enhanced by the presence of III. The results of the present study indicate that solubility of model drug hydrogen bond donating compounds can be enhanced in PFOB by the presence of fluorocarbon-soluble hydrogen bond acceptors.     

Solubility and partitioning VI: octanol solubility and octanol-water partition coefficients

A simple equation for the estimation of the aqueous solubility of crystalline solutes was previously derived based on the assumption that the presence of water does not significantly alter the crystal properties of the solute. The data presented verify the solubility equation for a set of 36 nonelectrolytes and weak electrolytes. Using the same set of solutes, the two major assumptions used to derive the equation were also verified: that the octanol solubility of nonelectrolytes is exponentially proportional to the melting point of the solute and that the octanol-water solubility ratio is a good approximation of the octanol-water partition coefficient.     

Solubilization of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid by cosolvency

Solubilities of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in aqueous surfactant solutions, liquid polyethylene glycols (PEG), and solvents of various polarity were measured. The results showed that the solutes were slightly or moderately solubilized in the surfactant solutions and the liquid PEGs. It was also revealed that the solutes were slightly soluble in the solvent of either extreme polarity or nonpolarity, but moderately soluble in solvents of intermediate polarity of which solubility parameters are around 10. The solubility parameters of these solutes were calculated from the group contribution to be 10.2 for both of them. Of the solvents tested, tetramethylurea was exceptionally effective in solubilizing the solutes. The solutes were also moderately soluble in the aqueous cosolvents, containing tetramethylurea. This suggests that the mixed systems of tetramethylurea could be employed for the solubilization in the formulation of these compounds as an aqueous system.     

Hydrophobic and solvation effects on the solubility of hydroxysteroids in various solvents: Quantitative and qualitative assessment by application of the mobile order and disorder theory

Following the preliminary discussion outlining the relative difficulty of the experimental determination of solubilities versus the lack of general applicability and sound theoretical basis of most current predictive approaches for solubility, we look closely at the recently developed pure thermodynamic model for solubility in real solutions: that derived from mobile order and disorder theory. With successful estimates of the solubility of 62hydroxysteroids and related drugs in common organic solvents of differing polarities and H-bonding capacity, the model has proved to be a valuable tool in predicting the solubility of complex solutes such as polyfunctional drugs. Free of any adjusted regression coefficients and based on a limited number of readily available parameters, the proposed model is a time-saving alternative procedure to experimentation. By properly quantifying the enthalpic and entropic contributions involved in the overall solubility process, the model furthermore assesses the factors that determine solubility differences between steroids and solubility changes upon solvent properties. Therefore, the poor solubility of hydroxysteroids in aliphatic hydrocarbons results from the negative effects due to the change in non-specific cohesion forces upon mixing and due to steroid self-association in solution. In water, the low solubilities are mainly due to the large negative value of the hydrophobic effect which cannot be overcome by steroid–water functional group associations, i.e., the solvation effect. The relatively good solubility of hydroxysteroids in polar non-associated solvents (ketones, ethers, esters) and in alcohols is explained by the fact that, in both kinds of solvents, steroid self-association is rather well counterbalanced by the formation of a more or less important number of steroid–solvent interactions without being penalized by a strong negative hydrophobic effect in the case of alcohols. Some practical rules regarding how some parameters like the molar volume or the substitution may affect solubility are finally derived, which might help the pharmaceutical scientist to orient the choice of a solvent for liquid pharmaceutical forms. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.