QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DRUGS A - L

Academic Year 2017/2018 - 2° Year
Teaching Staff: Maria Nunziata MODICA
Credit Value: 6
Scientific field: CHIM/08 - Pharmaceutical chemistry
Taught classes: 32 hours
Laboratories: 27 hours
Term / Semester:

Learning Objectives

The course aims to provide the student with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the quantitative analysis of substances of pharmaceutical interest through volumetric and instrumental techniques.


Detailed Course Content

Course syllabus (6 CFU)

Module 1 (3 CFU)

Introduction to quantitative analysis. Materials, reagents and instruments used in laboratory. Safety in the laboratory. Validation of an analytical method. Accuracy and precision. Rejection of outliers: 4d method and test of Dixon. Analytic balance, weighing operations and methods.

Volumetric analysis

Preparation of standard solutions; control and determination of solution concentration. Volumetric instruments. Calculations in volumetric analysis.

Acid-base titrations

Acidimetry and alkalimetry. Preparation and standardization of acid and basic solutions. Indicators. Acid-base titrations in non-aqueous solvents: generality, intrinsic acidity e basicity, levelling and differentiating effects, classification of solvents. Equilibrium in non-aqueous solvents, criteria of selection of solvent. Applications, particularly, referred to the monographs reported from Italian Official Pharmacopoeia (FUI) XII ed. and European Pharmacopeia (Ph. Eur.) VIII ed. and supplements. Determination of: sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, mixture of carbonates and alkaline hydroxide, mixture of carbonates and bicarbonates, ephedrine hemihydrate, aminic nitrogen with the Kjeldahl method, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, naproxen, ibuprofen, nimesulide, omeprazole, benzyl benzoate, acetylsalicylic acid, boric acid, saccharine; nicotinamide, diazepam, aspartame, atropine sulfate, sodium benzoate, sulfafurazole.

Titrations based on precipitation

Argentometry. Preparation and standardization of silver nitrate and of ammonium thiocyanate solutions. Titration methods. Applications, particularly, referred to the monographs reported from FUI XII ed. and Ph. Eur. IX ed. and supplements. Determination of: alkaline halides, chlorobutanol.

Chelometric titrations

Titration methods. Preparation and standardization of an EDTA solution. Applications, particularly, referred to the monographs reported from FUI XII ed. and Ph. Eur. IX ed. and supplement. Determination of Al, Bi, Ca, Mg, Pb, Zn, Hg, Fe salts. Water hardness determination.

Titrations based on ox-red reactions

Permanganometric, cerimetric, iodimetric, iodometric, bromometric titrations.

Applications, particularly, referred to the monographs reported from FUI XII ed. and Ph. Eur. IX ed. and supplements. Determination of: Ca salts, iron(II) salts, hydrogen peroxide and expression of concentration of hydrogen peroxide solutions in volumes of oxygen produced; iron(II) sulfate, menadione, paracetamol, nifedipine; sodium sulfite heptahydrate, ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, captopril; potassium permanganate, chloramine, iron(III) chloride; isoniazid, phenol.

Learning outcomes

The purpose of this module is to familiarize students with the various types of volumetric analysis in the pharmaceutical field and with operational techniques. At the end of this module the student will be able to deal with analytical problems from theoretical and practical point of view and he will then properly approach a quantitative analysis using the most appropriate technique, measure and operation; he will also be able to make some simple, both manuals and instrumental laboratory operations. Moreover, he will able to explain selected monographs of the FUI XII ed. and of the Ph. Eur. IX ed.

Module 2 (1,5 CFU)

Analytical instrumental methods

Electrochemical analytical methods. Potentiometric determination of pH. Biamperometric determination of primary aromatic amino-nitrogen: application to sulphamides reported from FUI XII ed. and Ph. Eur. IX ed. and supplements.

Optical methods of analysis

Spectrophotometry UV/Vis. General principles. Instrument. Quantitative analysis: working wavelength selection, method for the determination of concentration, construction of a calibration curve. Applications, particularly, referred to the monographs reported from Ph. Eur. IX ed. Determination of: chloramphenicol.

Spectrofluorimetry. General principles. Instrument. Quantitative analysis: methods for the determination of concentration.


Textbook Information

  1. G. C. Porretta - Analisi DI PREPARAZIONI FARMACEUTICHE. Analisi quantitativa. - Ed. CISU, Roma.
  2. E. Abignente, D. Melisi, M. G. Rimoli – Principi di analisi quantitativa DEI medicinali - Ed. Loghìa, Napoli.
  3. D. C. Harris - Chimica Analitica Quantitativa - Zanichelli, Bologna.
  4. R. Cozzi, P. Protti, T. Ruaro - Analisi chimica: moderni metodi strumentali - Zanichelli, Bologna.
  5. Vogel's Texbook of Quantitative Chemical Analysis - Fifth edition - Ed. Longman Scientific & Tecnical.
  6. Farmacopea Ufficiale Italiana XII edizione.
  7. European Pharmacopoeia IX edizione and supplements.