Test 2 Content Flashcards
Buffer systems
-minimize the changes in a solution’s pH
-if there is a sudden addition of acid or base, the buffer will maintain the pH
What are buffers composed of?
-a weak acid and the salt of the acid (i.e. it’s conjugate base)
-a weak base and the salt of the base (i.e. it’s conjugate acid)
Most pharmaceutical buffers are made of….?
a weak acid and the salt of the acid (i.e. conjugate base)
Buffering region works best within how many pH units of pKa?
Buffering region works best within 1 pH unit of pKa
Polyprotic acids
Acids that are capable of losing more than a single proton per molecule (protons lost in stages - one at a time)
When are buffers used?
-When you need to alter the pH or try to keep the pH of a solution or a dosage form in a particular range to prevent drug degradation
-to help minimize irritation of tissues
Types of dosage forms that commonly contain buffers to minimize irritation/stinging
-injection/infusion
-ophthalmic solutions
-nasal solutions
acidifying agents
added to make dosage form more acidic; can be without the addition of buffers
alkalizing agents
added to make dosage form more basic
How to select a buffer:
-consider route of administration
-buffers often prepared to be isotonic solutions
-select a buffer pair with a pKa approx. equal to (+/- 1 pH of the pKa) to the pH you need to use
-calculate from the Henderson Hasselbach equation what ratio of the buffer pair you need to add to get the desired pH
-may need to adjust the pH of the buffer with an acidifying or alkalizing agent in order to arrive at the exact pH desired
Henderon-Hasselbalch
allows for the calculation of the concentration of constituents necessary to make a buffer a certain pH; the pH of the buffer will be determined by the pKa and the ratio of weak acid to conjugate base
Buffer capacity
-a measure of the resistance to a change in pH when an acid or base is added to the solution
-expressed as the amount of strong acid or base, in gram-equivalents, that must be added to 1 liter of the solution to change its pH by one unit
Buffer capacity depends on….?
-ratio of salt to the acid or base (optimal ratio = 1:1)
-total buffer concentration (takes more acid or base to deplete 0.5M buffer than 0.05M)
Buffer capacity requirements
-must be low enough to allow for rapid adjustment upon administration to physiological pH (ophthalmic and parenteral products)
-must be large enough to maintain the product pH during shelf-life
Disintegration time
-the time required for the tablet to break down into particles
-particles can be measured how the particles pass through a sieve while agitated in a specified fluid (defined by the USP)
Factors that affect disintegration
-dosage form formulation (delayed release, extended release)
-tablet hardness
-use of disintegrants within formulation
Disintegrants
-swell upon contact with water
-break solid dosage form into smaller granules
-many are starch and cellulose derivatives
-promotes disintegration
Dissolution
-the transfer of molecules from solid state into solutions
Dissolution rate
-how quickly the solubility limit is reached
-measured in a dissolution apparatus defined by the USP
solution
a homogeneous mixture of the molecules of one substance with another (homogenous down to the molecular level)
Noyes-Whitney equation
-molecules of the dissolving particle move into solution forming a high concentration at the surface of the particle (Cs)
-molecules diffuse from the saturating film (high concentration) to the bulk fluid (low concentration)
D in Noyes-Whitney equation and how it affects dissolution rate
-Diffusion coefficient (how quickly the solute/drug molecule will diffuse through the solvent)
-viscosity of dissolution medium (this can be decreased by drinking water)
(the viscosity of the solvent is inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient)
A in Noyes-Whitney equation and how it affects dissolution rate
-Surface area of the particle (how large the particle is “macro or micro”)
-particle size (the smaller the particle size, the larger the surface area and the higher the dissolution rate)
Cs in Noyes-Whitney equation and how it affects dissolution rate
-The concentration of drug in the saturating film equal to the solubility of the drug
-Increasing solubility increases dissolution rate
-molecular structure of solute
-pH of dissolution medium
-temperature