Powders

Definition !?
 Powders are mixtures of dry, finely divided drugs and/or chemicals
that may be intended for internal or external use.
The term ‘Powder’ may be used to describe:

 The physical form of a material, that is, a dry substance composed of

finely divided particles.

 Or, it may be used to describe a type of pharmaceutical preparation,

that is, a medicated powder intended for:
 internal (i.e., oral powder)
 external (i.e., topical powder) use.
Topical Powder Oral Powder
 Although the use of medicated powders in therapeutics is limited, the use
of powdered substances in the preparation of other dosage forms is
extensive.

 For example:
1. Powdered drugs may be blended with powdered fillers and other
pharmaceutical ingredients to fabricate solid dosage forms as tablets and
capsules
2. They may be dissolved or suspended in solvents
or liquid vehicles to make various liquid dosage forms
3. They may be incorporated into semisolid bases in the
preparation of medicated ointments and creams.
 Advantages Disadvantages
- More stable than liquid - Unpleasant tasting of drugs

-More convenient to swallow than tablet or - It is difficult to protect powders containing

capsules
- Used in blending with medicated
application as
ointments, suppositories and pastes
-Can be prepared into granules for use in
preparing tablets and or reconstituted to liquid
form
- Rapid therapeutic effect due to large surface
area
hygroscopic, deliquescent (tending to melt or
dissolve in humid environment), or aromatic
materials from decomposition.
- Time and expenses require in the preparation
of uniform powders are great
- Patient may misunderstand the correct method
of use. Without clear instruction, patients may
inhale through the nose a drug intended for oral
administration.

-
 Before their use in the preparation of pharmaceutical products, solid
materials first are characterized to determine their chemical and
physical features, including:

 Morphology
 Purity
 Solubility
 Flowability
 Stability
 particle size
 Uniformity
 Compatibility
 PARTICLE SIZE AND ANALYSIS
 The particles of pharmaceutical powders and granules may range from being extremely coarse,
about 10 mm (1 cm) in diameter, to extremely fine, approaching colloidal dimensions of 1 μm or
less.

In order to characterize the particle size of a given powder, the United States Pharmacopeia
(USP)
uses these descriptive terms:
1. very coarse
2. Coarse
3. moderately coarse
4. Fine
5. very fine

 These terms are related to the proportion of powder that is capable of passing through the
openings of standard sieves of varying fineness in a specified period while being shaken, generally
This figure represents the
standard sieve numbers and the
openings in each, expressed in
millimeters and in microns.
 Powders of vegetable and animal origin drugs are officially
defined as follows

o Very coarse (No. 8): All particles pass through a No. 8 sieve and not more than 20% pass
through a No. 60 sieve.

o Coarse (No. 20): All particles pass through a No. 20 sieve and not more than 40% pass
through a No. 60 sieve.

o Moderately coarse (No. 40): All particles pass through a No. 40 sieve and not more
than
40% pass through a No. 80 sieve.

o Fine (No. 60): All particles pass through a No. 60 sieve and not more than 40% pass
through a No. 100 sieve.

o Very fine (No. 80): All particles pass through a No. 80 sieve. There is no limit to
greater
fineness.
 Granules typically fall within the range of 4- to12-sieve size, although
granulations of powders prepared in the 12- to 20-sieve range are
sometimes used in tablet making.
 The purpose of particle size analysis in pharmacy is to obtain quantitative data on
 The size
Distribution
Shapes of the drug and other components to be used in
pharmaceutical formulations.

 There may be substantial differences in particle size, crystal morphology,

and amorphous character within and between substances.
 Particle size can influence a variety of important factors,
including the following:
1. Dissolution rate of particles intended to dissolve; drug micronization can increase the
rate of drug dissolution and its bioavailability

2. Suspendability of particles intended to remain undissolved but uniformly dispersed in

a liquid vehicle (e.g., fine dispersions have particles approximately 0.5 to 10 μm)

3. Uniform distribution of a drug substance in a powder mixture or solid dosage form to

ensure dose-to-dose content uniformity

4. Penetrability of particles intended to be inhaled for deposition deep in the respiratory

tract (e.g., 1 to 5 μm)

5. Lackof grittiness of solid particles in dermal ointments, creams, and

ophthalmic
preparations (e.g., fine powders may be 50 to 100 μm in size)
 Parameters important in particle size
determination
 Average particle size (mean)
 Particle size distribution
A number of methods exist for the determination of particle
size

 Sieving, in which particles are passed by

mechanical shaking through a series of sieves of
known and successively smaller size and the
proportion of powder passing through or being
withheld on each sieve is determined (range about
40 to 9,500 μm, depending upon sieve sizes)
 Analytical sieving
 Sampling process

 In order to obtain a powder sample, which represent the

whole batch, we proceed as in the following manner

Use a powder sampler (thief)

What is the importance of obtaining an optimum quantity of powder
for sieve analysis?

Because an excessive quantity of powder

1. Could deform the mesh of the sieve
2. Does not permit a regular flowing of the powder over the mesh of
the sieve
So a wrong classification will be obtained
 The sieving process should be carried out automatically to be reproducible

 With automatic sieving (6-8 sieves placed one over the other from the higher to
the lower sieve)

 Put a powder sample of 100 g in the upper sieve, close with its cover

 Shake for 5 min

 Normally the process can be stopped if within 1 minute no more than 0.1% of the
powder passes

 At the end of the process the powder sample will be distributed between the
sieves according to their diameter
SEDIMENTATION RATE, in which particles is
determined by measuring the terminal settling
velocity of particles through a liquid medium in
gravitational or centrifugal environment (range:
0.8-300 micrometers)

Sedimentation rate may be calculated

from Stokes’ law.
The sedimentation process is under the control of Stock’s law:

2r 2 g (   )
V  0 9

 r is the radius of the sphere that has a volume equal to the

particle.
  is the particle density.
 o is the density of the dispersion medium or vehicle.
  is the vehicle viscosity.
 g is the gravity acceleration.

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 Counter coulter
 This equipment counts the particles & classifies them in different
dimensional classes

 It permits to measure the volume of the particles using the

conductometric method
 Microscopy – particles are sized through the use of calibrated grid
background or other measuring device ( range 0.2 to 100
micrometers)
 Important magnitude in powder technology

Flow of powder

Factors that decrease the flow of powder:

1. Superficial adhesiveness
2. Shape of the particles: Spherical particles flow quickly while irregular
shaped particles flow slowly
3. Surface of the particles: Wrinkled surface has low flowability while
smooth surface have high flowability
4. The presence of electrostatic charges on the surface of the
particles
5. The hygroscopicity of the powders
 Disadvantages of a bad powder flow:
An incomplete & irregular filling of dies or bottles is achieved

Advantages of good powder flow

 Filling the dies in very short time
 This means complete and regular filling of dies or bottles
 Flow enhancer or Glidants
 Flow enhancers improve the flowability of the powder by reducing
interparticle friction

 Excipients that have anti-adherent or lubricant properties may enhance

powder flowability

Usually glidants are hydrophobic types substance

1. Talc
2. Mg stearate
3. Starch
4. Silica gel
If bad flowability is due to:
 The humidity
 Hygroscopicity
 The use of MgO & SiO2 is advisable

Lipophilic glidants decrease

 Disintegration of tablets
 Dissolution of the active material
 Thus, minimum quantity of glidant should be used
 Angle of repose
 The angle of repose is a relatively simple technique for estimating the flow
properties of a powder.

 It can easily be determined by allowing a powder to flow through a funnel

and fall freely onto a surface.

 The height and diameter of the resulting cone are measured and the angle
of repose is calculated from this equation:

tan q = h/r
θ = tan-1(h/r)
where
h = height of pile
r = radius of the base of the pile h

Excellent flowability if θ < 25o

Good flowability if 25o < θ < 30o
Passable flowability if 30o < θ < 40o
Very poor if θ > 40o
flowability
 Mass-Volume relationships
Types of Volume:
 True volume (VT)
 Bulk volume (VB)
 Relative volume (VR)

VR = VB / VT
VR tends to become unity as all air is eliminated from the mass during
the compression process.
Types of Density:
M is the mass of powder

• True density (ρT = M / VT )

• Bulk density (apparent) (ρa = M / VB)
• Relative density (ρR = M / VR)
ρR = ρB / ρT
Porosity (ε ):

Porosity = (V bulk – V / V bulk) * 100

 USP
The bulk density of a powder is the ratio of the mass of an untapped powder sample and
its volume including the contribution of the interparticulate void volume. The bulk
density is expressed in grams per milliliter (g/mL)

The tapped density is obtained by mechanically tapping a graduated measuring cylinder

or vessel containing the powder sample.

Tapped density = M / Tapped V

 COMMINUTION OF DRUGS
The process of reducing the particle size of a solid substance

Objectives of Comminution
• Facilitate crude drug extraction
• Increase the dissolution rates of drugs
• Aid in the formulation process
• Enhance absorption
 COMMINUTION OF DRUGS
 On a small scale, the pharmacist reduces the size of
chemical substances by grinding with a mortar and
pestle.

 A finer grinding action is accomplished by using a

mortar with a rough surface (as a porcelain mortar)
than one with a smooth surface (as a glass mortar).

 Grinding a drug in a mortar to reduce its particle size

is termed trituration or comminution.
Trituration Levigation (to make smooth)
 On a large scale, various types of mills and pulverizers may be
used to reduce particle size.

 The following figure shows one such piece of equipment, a FitzMill

comminuting machine with a product containment system.

 Through the grinding action of rapidly moving blades in the

comminuting chamber, particles are reduced in size and passed
through a screen of desired dimension to the collection container.

The collection and containment system:

o protects the environment from chemical dust
o reduces product loss
o prevents product contamination.
 Levigation
Levigation is commonly used in small-scale
preparation of ointments and suspensions to reduce
the particle size and grittiness of the added powders.

 A mortar and pestle or an ointment tile may be used.

 A paste is formed by combining the powder and a small amount of liquid (the
levigating agent) in which the powder is insoluble.

 The paste is then triturated, reducing the particle size.

 The levigated paste may then be added to the ointment base and the mixture
made uniform and smooth by rubbing them together with a spatula on the
ointment tile.

 Mineral oil and glycerin are commonly used levigating agents.

 BLENDING POWDERS
 When two or more powdered substances are to be combined to form a uniform
mixture, it is best to reduce the particle size of each powder individually before
weighing and blending.

 Depending on the nature of the ingredients, the amount of powder, and the
equipment, powders may be blended by spatulation, trituration, sifting, and
tumbling.
• Spatulation
 Spatulation is blending small amounts of powders by movement of a
spatula through them on a sheet of paper or an ointment tile.

 It is not suitable for large quantities of powders or for powders

containing potent substances, because homogeneous blending is not
as certain as other methods.
• Trituration
 Trituration may be employed both to comminute and to mix powders. If simple
admixture is desired without the special need for comminution, the glass mortar
is usually preferred.
 When a small amount of a potent substance is to be mixed with a large amount of diluent, the
geometric dilution method is used to ensure the uniform distribution of the potent drug.

 This method is especially indicated when the potent substance and other ingredients are the
same color and a visible sign of mixing is lacking.

 By this method, the potent drug is placed with an approximately equal volume of the diluent in a
mortar and is mixed thoroughly by trituration.

 Then, a second portion of diluent equal in volume to the mixture is added and the trituration
repeated

 This process is continued by adding an equal volume of diluent to the powder mixture and
repeating this until all of the diluent is incorporated.

 Some pharmacists add an inert colored powder to the diluent before mixing to permit visual
inspection of the mixing process.
• Sifting
 Powders may also be mixed by passing them through sifters like those
used in the kitchen to sift flour.

 Sifting results in a light, fluffy product.

 This process is not acceptable for the incorporation of potent drugs

into a diluent powder.
• Tumbling
 Another method of mixing powders is tumbling the powder in a
rotating chamber.

 Special small-scale and large-scale motorized powder blenders mix

powders by tumbling them.

 Mixing by this process is thorough but time consuming.

 Such blenders are widely employed in industry, as are mixers that use
motorized blades to blend powders in a large vessel.
TUMBLERS
Double Cone Tumbling Mixer

V Type Pharmaceutical Mixer

Planetary Mixers
 Factors in Blending
 Size
 Shape
 Density
 Electrostatic Forces
 Limits of Blend
 Segregation Mechanisms

PHAR 332 Birzeit Un. Dr Hani Shtaya

 Segregation
 Segregation is an undesirable separation of the different components
of the blend.

 Segregation may occur by sifting or percolation, air

(fluidization), and particle entrapment (dusting).
entrapment
 Fine particles tend to sift or percolate through coarse particles and end up
at the bottom of the container and actually “lift” the larger particles to the
surface.

 Dusting occurs when the finer, lighter particles remain suspended in air
longer and do not settle as quickly as the larger or denser particles.
Segregation can take place whenever forces are applied to the powder,
for example, by way of gravity, vibration, or air flow.

These forces act differently on particles with different

physical characteristics, such as particle size, shape, and density.

Most commonly, particles separate as a result of particle

size differences.
 MEDICATED POWDERS
 Some medicated powders are intended to be used internally and others, externally.

 Most powders for internal use are taken orally after mixing with water or in the case of infants in
their infant formulas.

 Some powders are intended to be inhaled for local and systemic effects.

 Other dry powders are commercially packaged for constitution with a liquid solvent or vehicle,
some for administration orally, others for use as an injection, and still others for use as a vaginal
douche.

 Medicated powders for external use are dusted on the affected area from a sifter-type container
or applied from a powder aerosol.

 Powders intended for external use should bear a label marked external use only or a similar label.
 Medicated powders for oral use may be intended for:
 local effects (e.g., laxatives) or
 systemic effects (e.g., analgesics)
And may be preferred to counterpart tablets and capsules by patients who
have difficulty swallowing solid dosage forms.

 The doses of some drugs are too bulky to be formed into tablets
or capsules of convenient size, so they may be administered as powders.

 For administration, they can be mixed with a liquid or soft food.

 Powders taken orally for systemic use may be expected to result in
faster rates of dissolution and absorption than solid dosage forms,
because there is immediate contact with the gastric fluids.

 A primary disadvantage of the use of oral powders is the undesirable

taste of the drug.
 Some medications, notably antibiotics for children, are intended for
oral administration as liquids but are relatively unstable in liquid form.

 They are provided to the pharmacist by the manufacturer as a dry

powder or granule for constitution with a specified quantity of
purified water at the time of dispensing.

 Under labeled conditions of storage, the resultant product remains

stable for the prescribed period of use, generally up to 2 weeks.
 AEROSOL POWDERS
 Some medicated powders are administered by inhalation with the aid
of dry-powder inhalers, which deliver micronized particles of
medication in metered quantities.
 Most of these products are used in
the treatment of asthma and other
bronchial disorders that require
distribution of medication deep in the
lungs.

 To accomplish this, the particle size of

the micronized medication is prepared
in the range of 1 to 6 μm in diameter.
 In addition to the therapeutic agent, these products contain inert
propellants and pharmaceutical diluents, such as crystalline alpha-
lactose monohydrate, to aid the formulation’s flow properties and
metering uniformity and to protect the powder from humidity.

 Powder blowers or insufflators may be used to deliver dry powders to

various parts of the body, e.g., nose, throat, lung, vagina. Depression
of the device’s rubber bulb causes turbulence of the powder in the
vessel, forcing it out through the orifice in the tip.
 BULK AND DIVIDED POWDERS

 Medicated powders may be provided to the patient in bulk or may be

divided into unit of- use packages.

 Some powders are packaged by manufacturers, whereas others

are prepared and packaged by the pharmacist.
• Bulk Powders
 Among the bulk powders available in prepackaged amounts are:

a. Antacids (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) and laxatives (e.g., psyllium [Metamucil]),

which the patient takes by mixing with water or another beverages before
swallowing

b. Douche powders: dissolved in warm water by the patient for vaginal use

c. Medicated powders for external application to the skin, usually

antiinfectives (e.g., bacitracin zinc and polymyxin B sulfate) or antifungals (e.g.,
topical
tolnaftate)

d. Brewer’s yeast powder containing B-complex vitamins

and other nutritional supplements.
In some cases, a small measuring scoop, spoon, or other device is dispensed with the
powder for measuring the dose of the drug.
 Dispensing powder medication in bulk quantities is limited to nonpotent substances.

 Powders containing substances that should be administered in controlled dosage are

supplied to the patient in divided amounts in folded papers or packets.

 Patients should be educated about appropriate handling, storage, measurement, and

preparation of bulk powder prescription and nonprescription products in addition to the
customary counseling at the time of dispensing or purchase.

 Generally, these products are stored at room temperature in a clean, dry place.

 These products should be kept out of the reach of children and animals.

 Patients should be instructed how to measure the appropriate amount of the powder and
be told the type of liquid or vehicle to use to deliver the medication consistent with
package and/or physician instructions.
• Divided Powders
 After a powder has been properly blended (using the geometric
dilution method for potent substances), it may be divided into
individual dosing units based on the amount to be taken or used
at a single time.

 Each divided portion of powder may be placed on a small piece of

paper that is folded to enclose the medication.

 A number of commercially prepared premeasured products are

available in folded papers or packets, including:
 headache powders
 powdered laxatives (e.g., psyllium mucilloid, cholestyramine
resin)
 douche powders (e.g., Massengill powder packets)
 Divided powders may be prepared by the pharmacist as follows.

 Depending on the potency of the drug substance, the pharmacist decides whether to
weigh each portion of powder separately before enfolding in a paper or to approximate
each portion by using the block and- divide method.

 By the latter method, used only for non-potent drugs, the pharmacist places the entire
amount of the prepared powder on a flat surface such as a porcelain or glass plate, pill
tile, or large sheet of paper and, with a large spatula, forms a rectangular or square
block of the powder having a uniform depth.

 Then, using the spatula, the pharmacist cuts into the powder lengthwise and crosswise
to delineate the appropriate number of smaller, uniform blocks, each representing a
dose or unit of medication.

 Each of the smaller blocks is separated from the main block with the spatula, transferred
to a powder paper, and wrapped.
The selection of the type of paper is based primarily on the nature of the
powder.

If the powder contains hygroscopic materials, waterproof or waxed paper

should be used.

Powders containing volatile components should be wrapped in waxed or

glassine papers.

Powders containing neither volatile components nor ingredients adversely

affected by air or moisture are usually wrapped in a white bond paper
 Disadvantages Of Divided Powders
1. Difficult to protect from atmospheric moisture or oxygen
2. Not well suited for dispensing of many unpleasant tasting hygroscopic
drug
3. Preparation is time-consuming, therefore more costly.

Advantages Of Divided Powders

4. Flexibility
5. Dissolve more rapidly then compressed solid dosage form
6. Rapid therapeutic effect
7. StabilityEase of administration
 Problems encountered in powder formulation
1- Hygroscopic and Deliquescent Powder

Problem: Absorption of moisture from air leading to partial or complete liquefaction.

Solution:
a. Reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the moisture
b. Packed in aluminum foil or in plastic film packets
c. Addition of light magnesium oxide to reduce the tendency to damp
d. Addition of adsorbent materials such as starch

Examples: Ammonium Bromide/Chloride/Iodide, Calcium Bromide/Chloride, Ephedrine Sulfate

Hyoscyamine HBr/Sulfate, Lithium Bromide, Phenobarbital Sodium, Potassium Acetate/Citrate

Check Table 6.3

2- Efflorescent powders
(is the loss of water (or a solvent) of crystallization from a hydrated or solvated salt to the
atmosphere on exposure to air.)

Problem: Crystalline substances which during storage loose their water of crystallization and
change to powder (to be efflorescent). The liberated water convert the powder to a paste or
to a liquid.

Examples: Alum- atropine sulfate- citric acid- codeine phosphate…

Solution: Using the anhydrous form + treating it in a manner similar to hygroscopic powders
( include drying bulky powder)
3- Eutectic Mixtures

A proportion of components that will give the lowest melting point

Problem: mixture of substances that liquefy when mixed, rubbed or triturated together.
The melting points of many eutectic mixtures are below room temperature.

Examples: menthol- thymol- phenol- salol- camphor…….

Solution:
A- using inert adsorbent such as starch, talc, lactose to prevent dampness of the powder
B- dispensing the components of the eutectic mixture separately.
4- Explosive mixtures

Oxidising agents give oxygen to another substance.

Reducing agents remove oxygen from another substance.

Problem: Oxidizing agents (ex. Pot. Salts of chlorate, dichromate, permanganate and nitrate-
Sod. Peroxide- silver nitrate and silver oxide) explore violently when triturated in a mortar
with a reducing agent ( ex. sulfides- sulfur- tannic acid- charcoal).

Solution:
A- Comminute each salt separately.
B- Subject to a minimum pressure.