PHA-3001/PHAP-3004

Pharmaceutical Solutions Workshop

2021-22

You are working in the pharmaceutical development department of a pharmaceutical

company. You are responsible for the development of appropriate formulations for a
range of new drugs.

Q1.
Describe the three main molecular processes involved in the dissolution of a solid
drug in water.

Q2.
A new compound, futilin, has been developed by the medicinal chemists in your
team. Efficacy studies suggest that the oral solution formulation will need a 25mg/5
mL dose. You check the solubility of futilin in a range of different solvents.

Purified water at 5°C: 2 mg/mL

Purified water at 20°C: 5 mg/mL
Ethanol at 5°C: 10 mg/mL
Ethanol at 20°C: 20 mg/mL
Polyethylene glycol at 5°C: 5 mg/mL
Polyethylene glycol at 20°C: 7.5 mg/mL

Based on the data above there is a problem with developing the requested solution
formulations. Explain the nature of the problem.

Q3.
a) Define the term, logP. Describe how you would determine the log P of the
beta blocker drug, atenolol. You have been given 1g of drug, 50mL octan-1-ol,
100mL water and a separating funnel.

b) If the drug has a logP of 3.5 what is the ratio of drug concentrations in the
octanol:water phases?

c) When fentanyl was equilibrated in equal volumes of octan-1-ol and water, the
measured concentration of methadone was 15886 μg/ml and 2.01 μg/ml in
the non-polar and polar phases, respectively. What is the logP of fentanyl?

Q4.
What is the change in vapour pressure when 164 g of glycerin (C 3H8O3) is added to
338 mL of H2O at 39.8 °C?
The vapour pressure of pure H 2O at 39.8 °C is 54.74 torr. The density of H 2O at
39.8 °C is 0.992 g/mL. N.B. Assume that the mixture is an ideal solution.