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Physical characterisation of pharmaceutical solids (vol. 70 in the drugs in pharmaceutical sciences series)
Book Review
able contribution to these areas since it provides a comprehensive description of the developments in this expanding field. In addition to providing an excellent source of information for a novice in the area, this book is an outstanding resource for all researchers in the field. ARVIND M. MATHUR and ALEC B. SCRANTON Department of Chemical Engineering Michigan State University East Lansing, MI, US
Harry G. Brittain (Ed.), Physical Characterisation of
Pharmaceutical Solids (Vol. 70 in the Drugs in Pharmaceutical Sciences series), Marcel Dekker, New York, 1995, 448 pp., $165.00, ISBN 0-82479372-2. Given the great diversity of techniques which may be used for characterising solid pharmaceutical materials and the prolific scientific literature that has resulted from their application, the possibilities of this volume becoming a gargantuan text crammed with mind-numbing detail must have been considerable. Refreshingly, and to their great credit, the editor and authors of this book have achieved quite the opposite. In this book they have cogently brought together the principal approaches used for solids characterisation and produced a succinct, readable and user-friendly guide which pharmaceutical scientists at all levels of industry and academia will find
107
useful. For example, there is sufficient simplicity in the descriptions of the salient features of each approach to be useful to a reader who requires an easily digested introduction to an unfamiliar technique and a broad understanding of its usefulness. However, there is also sufficient detail included to provide both a good understanding of the scientific principles underpinning each technique and to illustrate their potential and practical limitations. It is not a practical manual but it will provide a good understanding. Each chapter of the book covers a different aspect, ranging from basic methods of everyday practical importance such as particle sizing, solubility determinations and water sorption, the various microscopies and spectroscopies (IR, Raman, NMR and UV/visible diffuse reflectance) and other useful analytical tools such as thermal analysis and X-ray diffractrometry. There are also major sections on the science and methods of particle characterisation and the determination of physical properties such as powder flow and tableting characteristics. Both undergraduate students and experienced scientists will find this a worthwhile and useful book and in bringing the subject together in such a concise way, it should be an attractive and useful addition to any preformulation, pharmaceutical development, quality control or teaching institution library. COLIN MELIA Nottingham University Nottingham, UK
able contribution to these areas since it provides a comprehensive description of the developments in this expanding field. In addition to providing an excellent source of information for a novice in the area, this book is an outstanding resource for all researchers in the field. ARVIND M. MATHUR and ALEC B. SCRANTON Department of Chemical Engineering Michigan State University East Lansing, MI, US
Harry G. Brittain (Ed.), Physical Characterisation of
Pharmaceutical Solids (Vol. 70 in the Drugs in Pharmaceutical Sciences series), Marcel Dekker, New York, 1995, 448 pp., $165.00, ISBN 0-82479372-2. Given the great diversity of techniques which may be used for characterising solid pharmaceutical materials and the prolific scientific literature that has resulted from their application, the possibilities of this volume becoming a gargantuan text crammed with mind-numbing detail must have been considerable. Refreshingly, and to their great credit, the editor and authors of this book have achieved quite the opposite. In this book they have cogently brought together the principal approaches used for solids characterisation and produced a succinct, readable and user-friendly guide which pharmaceutical scientists at all levels of industry and academia will find
107
useful. For example, there is sufficient simplicity in the descriptions of the salient features of each approach to be useful to a reader who requires an easily digested introduction to an unfamiliar technique and a broad understanding of its usefulness. However, there is also sufficient detail included to provide both a good understanding of the scientific principles underpinning each technique and to illustrate their potential and practical limitations. It is not a practical manual but it will provide a good understanding. Each chapter of the book covers a different aspect, ranging from basic methods of everyday practical importance such as particle sizing, solubility determinations and water sorption, the various microscopies and spectroscopies (IR, Raman, NMR and UV/visible diffuse reflectance) and other useful analytical tools such as thermal analysis and X-ray diffractrometry. There are also major sections on the science and methods of particle characterisation and the determination of physical properties such as powder flow and tableting characteristics. Both undergraduate students and experienced scientists will find this a worthwhile and useful book and in bringing the subject together in such a concise way, it should be an attractive and useful addition to any preformulation, pharmaceutical development, quality control or teaching institution library. COLIN MELIA Nottingham University Nottingham, UK