PDD 09: Solid Oral Dosage Forms – Powder Processing Flashcards
What does tablet production require?
several steps to transform a mixture of powders into an intact tablet that will perform as required
- each step is called a unit operation
What components must be combined to produce a tablet?
active pharmaceutical ingredient(s) + excipients
What are the optimal properties that must be obtained to turn powders into tablets?
- flow characteristics
- compactability
What are the 4 unit operations?
- mixing
- milling
- granulation
- tabletting
What are unit operations?
steps to transform a mixture of powders into an intact tablet
- generally the smallest possible number of unit operations is preferable
- order and number of unit operations can vary between different formulations
What is powder mixing?
unit operation that aims to treat two or more components so that each unit of each component lies as closely as possible in contact with units of other components
What is random mixing?
statistical process in which a bed of particles is repeatedly split and recombined until there is an equal chance of any individual particle being at any given point in the mix at any one time
What is the purpose of mixing?
to ensure that each dosage unit (tablet) contains the correct amount/concentration of active ingredients and excipients
What type of mixtures are powders?
neutral mixtures
- no spontaneous mixing or separation occurs
What are the mechanisms of mixing? (3)
- convection
- shearing
- diffusion
Mixing
What is convection?
transfer of large groups of particles
- rapid macroscopic mixing, but no mixing within group of particles
Mixing
What is shearing?
occurs when a layer of material flows over another layer, breaking up lumps of material
Mixing
What is diffusion?
moving powder bed dilates, decreasing the density
- moving particles can move through the void spaces by gravitational forces
What are the 3 types of mixers?
- tumbling mixers
- agitator mixers
- high speed mixer-granulator
What determines what type of mixers are used?
properties of the powder
What are tumbling mixers?
- great for free flowing powders
- small shearing forces are not enough to break up aggregates
- can promote segregation
- convection is main mechanism of mixing
What are agitator mixers?
- able to quickly mix large quantities of material
- prone to dead spaces
- difficult to clean
- high shearing forces allow mixing of particles that tend to aggregate
What are high speed mixer-granulators?
- two unit operations in one vessel reduce chance of segregation
- high shear forces not compatible with sensitive compounds
What is segregation?
opposite of mixing, resulting in separation of powder components
What factors affect mixing and promote segregation? (4)
- particle size
- particle shape
- particle density
- proportion of API
How does particle size affect mixing and promote segregation?
- particles should be uniform in size to prevent percolation
- smaller particles tend to aggregate due to Van der Waals forces
How does particle shape affect mixing and promote segregation?
spherical particles have optimal flow properties – acicular or flat particles prolong mixing time due to agglomeration
How does particle density affect mixing and promote segregation?
particles which differ in density are sensitive to segregation due to vibration
How does proportion of API affect mixing and promote segregation?
for very potent APIs (<1% w/w) it may be necessary to sequentially build up the amount of material in the mixer