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Introduction

Physical Pharmacy is concerned with the use of physic-chemical principles as applied to various
branches of pharmacy. Its primary goal is to develop drug delivery systems.

Pharmacists rely on physico-chemical properties to establish the identity and purity of raw
materials.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES are those that are unique for each substance and are used to identify the
substance itself, e.g. physical state-solid, liquid, gas. The following are types of physical properties:

▪ Intensive properties are innate to the compound and do not depend on the amount of the
substance, e.g. color, density, MP
▪ Extensive properties are dependent on the amount of matter in a substance, e.g. mass, volume

When a state of matter gains or losses heat, it undergoes change. Endothermic change is where
a substance gains or absorbs heat. Exothermic change is where the substance losses heat and
hence they become colder.

Physical properties may also be classified as:

▪ Additive – given by the sun of the corresponding properties of a system. It depends on the total
contribution of the atoms of the molecule, e.g. mass – the total mass of the system would be
the sum of the total masses of the constituents.
▪ Constitutive – depends primarily on the arrangement of the constituents making up the
molecule, e.g. refractive index, surface tension, viscosity, etc.
▪ Colligative – function of the number of species or particles present in solution, e.g. vapor
pressure, BP elevation, FP depression, osmotic pressure.

PHYSICAL PHARMACY LABORATORY GUIDE

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Exercise 1

NAME_____________________________________SECTION________________DATE_________

1. Complete the table.

EXAMPLE
CHANGE FROM TO HEAT (substances that
exhibit the
change)

Sublimation Solid Gas

Deposition Gas Solid

Evaporation Liquid Gas

Melting Solid Liquid

Freezing Liquid Solid

Condensation Gas Liquid

2. Classify the following as to properties. Write E for extensive, I for intensive, Add for additive,
Con for constitutive, Col for colligative and NA if the properties mentioned are not
applicable.

PROPERTIES E/I Add/Con/Col

Green

500 L

98 g/mol

-0.52OC

0.9 centipoise

PHYSICAL PHARMACY LABORATORY GUIDE

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3. Given the statement, write the properties per column.

Ethanol is a volatile, colorless liquid that has a slight odor. It burns with a smokeless blue
flame that is not always visible in normal light. It is slightly more refractive than water,
having a refractive index of 1.36242. it is miscible with water and with many organic
solvents. In the presence of acid catalysts, ethanol reacts with carboxylic acids to
produce ethyl esters and water. Strong acid dessicants cause the dehydration of ethanol
to for diethyl ether and other byproducts. Complete combustion of ethanol forms
carbon dioxide and water vapor. Ethanol can be oxidized to acetaldehyde and further
oxidized to acetic acid, depending on the reagents and conditions.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

PHYSICAL PHARMACY LABORATORY GUIDE