Sample preparation for XRF analysis – pharmaceuticals

Sample preparation of solid pharmaceuticals comprising powders, tablets, capsules and other forms involve mostly grinding. Considering only small amounts of sample may be available, traditional preparation as pressed pellets is sometimes not possible.

Preparation of capsules involves additional steps as both the capsule and the drug contained within it require different preparation methods. You can easily prepare liquid pharmaceuticals and pastes using generic sample preparation for liquids.

Loose powder cups

When larger amounts of sample are available, you can use traditional liquid cups for the analysis of loose powders. This is a quick and practical solution when the sample must be recovered or when accuracy and reproducibility are not the main drivers.

Crushing

You may have to reduce the size of your sample to allow for further processing, such as representative sub-sampling, homogenization and grinding. Then crushing of the material is required.

Grinding

Grinding of the material to a fine powder is required to minimize undesired particle size effects and to allow further processing like pressing or fusion.

Pressing

Pressed powders are often very successfully used in production control environments, especially if the calibration ranges are narrow.

Pellets can be pressed free, into Al cups or steel rings. The use of binders is usually required to achieve the necessary mechanical stability and robustness. Malvern Panalytical’s E-store also offers the ultra-wax binder, for the preparation of high-quality pellets for the most demanding applications.

Small mass holder

When only very small amounts of sample are available, Malvern Panalytical’s patented small mass holder (SMH cell) is an alternative solution for sample preparation. Easy to use and requiring minimal sample amounts ~ 100 mg, this exclusive product offers a practical solution for such samples.

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• Cement and building materials
• Metallic materials
• Liquids
• Food products, animal feed, premixes and related materials
• Polymers, granulates, fluffs and related materials

Previously in the seven-part series on ‘Sample preparation for XRF analysis’:

Watch out for the last blog in the series on “Sample preparation for XRF san in the course of this year.