The aqueous solubility of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is an important property that requires evaluation during early development and prior to formulation of the final product. With general, experimental, solubility testing of different APIs, the question always arises as to whether particle size had been determined beforehand or not. All available literature suggests that particle size, for pharmaceutical powders, does not significantly affect equilibrium solubility. The dissolution rate will differ according to different particle sizes, but the overall results should be identical after equilibrium is established. This study was therefore planned to investigate as to whether different particle size fractions of the same API, dissolving at different rates, would all reach solubility equilibrium within 24 hours. Also, APIs from different solubility classes were investigated, because poorly soluble substances would most likely require a longer period of time to equilibrate. The time period of 24 hours was selected, because many published solubility studies report using that interval and is it the standard for our research group also. Available APIs were selected to determine the influence (if any) of particle size on their equilibrium solubilities and the time required for attaining that status. For the purpose of this investigation, five APIs were selected from compounds at our disposal in-house, ranging from freely soluble to poorly soluble in the order: chloroquine phosphate > pyrazinamide > mefloquine hydrochloride > closantel sodium > roxithromycin. Solubility studies were successfully completed on four of the five APIs selected. For closantel sodium, pyrazinamide and roxithromycin it was demonstrated that the 24 hour test period was sufficient for the attainment of equilibrium solubility, regardless of the particle size fractions tested. Surprisingly, the only API in this study for which 24 hours was an insufficient test period was mefloquine HCl, which was not the least soluble compound tested. Further testing would be required to clarify this anomaly. What was evident from the outcomes of this investigation was that although the ubiquitous 24 hour solubility test may work well in many cases, its suitability should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and not just for the most poorly soluble compounds. Researchers testing solubility at temperatures lower than 37°C should be especially cautious of using a standardised test period, because equilibrium solubility would take longer to achieve with less energy available to the system. / Thesis (MSc (Pharmaceutics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aqueous solubility of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is an important property that requires evaluation during early development and prior to formulation of the final product. With general, experimental, solubility testing of different APIs, the question always arises as to whether particle size had been determined beforehand or not. All available literature suggests that particle size, for pharmaceutical powders, does not significantly affect equilibrium solubility. The dissolution rate will differ according to different particle sizes, but the overall results should be identical after equilibrium is established. This study was therefore planned to investigate as to whether different particle size fractions of the same API, dissolving at different rates, would all reach solubility equilibrium within 24 hours. Also, APIs from different solubility classes were investigated, because poorly soluble substances would most likely require a longer period of time to equilibrate. The time period of 24 hours was selected, because many published solubility studies report using that interval and is it the standard for our research group also. Available APIs were selected to determine the influence (if any) of particle size on their equilibrium solubilities and the time required for attaining that status. For the purpose of this investigation, five APIs were selected from compounds at our disposal in-house, ranging from freely soluble to poorly soluble in the order: chloroquine phosphate > pyrazinamide > mefloquine hydrochloride > closantel sodium > roxithromycin. Solubility studies were successfully completed on four of the five APIs selected. For closantel sodium, pyrazinamide and roxithromycin it was demonstrated that the 24 hour test period was sufficient for the attainment of equilibrium solubility, regardless of the particle size fractions tested. Surprisingly, the only API in this study for which 24 hours was an insufficient test period was mefloquine HCl, which was not the least soluble compound tested. Further testing would be required to clarify this anomaly. What was evident from the outcomes of this investigation was that although the ubiquitous 24 hour solubility test may work well in many cases, its suitability should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and not just for the most poorly soluble compounds. Researchers testing solubility at temperatures lower than 37°C should be especially cautious of using a standardised test period, because equilibrium solubility would take longer to achieve with less energy available to the system. / Thesis (MSc (Pharmaceutics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Im Rahmen dieses Promotionsprojektes wurde ein neues, chirales Orientierungsmedium zur Enantiomerenunterscheidung chiraler Amine vorgestellt. Ausgehend von dem enantiomerenreinen (R)- oder (S)-konfigurierten beta-Aminoalkohol, wurde in einer fünfstufigen Synthese (R)- respektive (S)-2-Acrylamido-2-phenylethansulfonsäure ((R)- / (S)-APhES), das zugrundeliegende chirale Monomer dieses neuen Polymergel-basierten Orientierungsmediums, hergestellt. Die daraus resultierenden chiralen Polymergele sind somit in beiden enantiomeren Formen zugänglich. Während die bisher existenten chiralen Orientierungsmedien auf wässrige Lösungen oder apolare organische Lösungsmittel beschränkt waren, zeichnet sich das neue Polymergel durch exzellente Quell- und Orientierungseigenschaften in polaren Lösungsmitteln, wie DMSO, DMF, MeOH und Wasser aus. Im Gegensatz zu den flüssigkristallinen Orientierungsmedien gibt es keine minimale, kritische Konzentration, sodass die Orientierungsstärke, je nach Bedarf, über einen weiten Bereich skaliert werden kann. Neben den exzellenten Orientierungseigenschaften, zeichnet sich dieses neue chirale Polymergel aber hauptsächlich durch seine enantiodiskriminierende Fähigkeit aus. So konnten die beiden Enantiomere des erythro-Mefloquin Hydrochlorids auf Grund unterschiedlicher dipolarer Restkopplungen (RDCs) erfolgreich unterschieden werden. Anhand von Strychnin Hydrochlorid und Menthylamin Hydrochlorid wurde das enantiodiskriminierende Potential der APhES-Gele an zwei weiteren Beispielen erfolgreich demonstriert. In einem unabhängigen Nebenprojekt konnte die absolute Konfiguration von erythro-Mefloquin Hydrochlorid, dem Wirkstoff eines hochrelevanten Anti-Malaria-Medikamentes, erfolgreich bestimmt werden. Bei dem racemisch eingesetzten Wirkstoff wurden seit dessen Entwicklung und besonders im vergangenen Jahrzehnt immer wieder kontroverse Strukturvorschläge bezüglich der absoluten Konfiguration publiziert. Da die beiden etablierten Methoden zur Bestimmung der absoluten Konfiguration, d.h. Totalsynthese oder Kristallstrukturanalyse, zu entgegengesetzten Ergebnissen führten, wurde im Rahmen dieser Promotion eine interdisziplinäre Methode gewählt, bestehend aus den spektroskopischen Verfahren NMR, ORD und ECD in Kombination mit quantenmechanischen DFT-Rechnungen. Basierend auf diesem Ansatz wurde die absolute Konfiguration von (–)-erythro-Mefloquin Hydrochlorid eindeutig als 11R,12S bestimmt. Dieses Ergebnis wurde kurze Zeit später, ebenfalls in dieser Abteilung, durch zwei unabhängige synthetische respektive synthetisch/analytische Methoden bestätigt.