ATR FT-IR Imaging of Tablet Dissolution

Understanding the mechanism of drug release is important for the safe and effective design of tablets and pharmaceutical formulations. ATR FT-IR spectroscopic 

One important aspect for this type of dissolution approach is that a good contact between the crystal surface and the sample is needed not only for representative imaging of the tablet or pharmaceutical formulation but also to ensure that water penetrates the sample only from the side of the tablet. This is especially important when mathematical modeling of the dissolution process is compared to that of the experimental data. Using the diamond ATR approach, the tablet is pressed onto the diamond, and therefore leakage of water between the diamond surface and the tablet is not expected [88]. 

Schematic diagram of drug dissolution study using the ATR FT-IR imaging 

Dry f = Omin f = 6min f=7min / = 9min f=11min t=13min 

It was thus shown that FT-IR imaging offers benefits to the development and validation of models for drug release and physical properties by allowing a straightforward method to obtain component physical properties that are spatially resolved. 

For matrices with a higher melting point (e.g., HPMC), it has been shown that swelling of the polymer at the tablet edge upon contact with water prevented undesirable water ingress from the top or bottom of the tablet into the interfacial 

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