Polymorph Identification by Thermal Analysis
Thermal Analysis is a generalized term that embodies a number of techniques to characterize materials. In the pharmaceutical industry, the most commonly used methods are DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), TGA (Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis), MP (Melting Point determination) and Moisture Content. DSC and TGA are especially useful to charcterize transition temperatures that indicate a polymorph transformation or melting point and many pharmaceutical patents include these data as a secondary screening tool for polymorph identification. Also, in hydrated and hygroscopic pharmaceuticals, moisture contents and their ranges are sometimes used to specify the scope of a specific polymorph.
Thermal Analysis Facilities
Our laboratory utilizes a TA 250 DSC unit capable of operation at -40C to 725C and a separate TA 55 TGA unit to provide supplemental information for DSC scans.
For melting point and moisture content determinations, we utilize separate instruments (Mettler Toledo FP62 and Computraxx Max2000XL). Each utilizes NIST traceable standards to insure accuracy.
