- Live reaction tracking during crystallisation
- Identified key scale-up parameters
- Peak viscosity correlation with product's yield stress
The pharmaceutical industry places a high importance on precise reaction control, as the process is often required to adhere to strict conditions and deliver reproducible results. The leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, encountered difficulties in effectively managing the rheological fluid behaviour during crystallisation and turned to Hydramotion.
Caffeine was chosen as the model system for the research as it has properties similar to many compounds in industry. It exhibits polymorphism and can form hydrates – plus it has interesting growth and nucleation kinetics. However, these reactions can be difficult to control, as they involve closely monitoring the formation of solids from a solution, and are often highly dependent on time and equipment.
Coupled with a particle size probe, the ReactaVisc was deployed to gain a deeper understanding of the reaction.
The researchers found that viscosity increased as crystallisation occurred, and the Reactavisc was able to successfully detect the formation of solid structures.
The Reactavisc's high sensitivity enabled AstraZeneca to further understand the kinetics of the reaction, and respond to several rheological issues in real-time.
The researchers also found they were able to determine the peak viscosity and correlate it with the product's yield stress.
By tracking these real-time behaviours in the laboratory setting, key scale-up parameters were identified and a framework was provided for future scale-up to the plant.
Whitepaper published by Frans L. Muller, AstraZeneca available here: