Membrane diffusivity

Membrane Diffusion layer Nafion ionomer Catalyst Particle... 

Process Description Pervaporation is a separation process in which a liquid mixture contacts a nonporous permselective membrane. One component is transported through the membrane preferentially. It evaporates on the downstream side of the membrane leaving as a vapor. The name is a contraction of permeation and evaporation. Permeation is induced by lowering partial pressure of the permeating component, usually by vacuum or occasionally with a sweep gas. The permeate is then condensed or recovered. Thus, three steps are necessary Sorption of the permeating components into the membrane, diffusive transport across the nonporous membrane, then desorption into the permeate space, with a heat effect. Pervaporation membranes are chosen for high selectivity, and the permeate is often highly purified. 

SPAN module. It was mentioned at the beginning that the special polyacrylonitrile fibers of SPAN have a wall thickness of 30 gm, which is considerably thicker than the 8 gm wall thickness of the SMC modules [19]. As a consequence, the presence of stronger capillary effects from the special porous fiber material of the SPAN module would be a reasonable conclusion. Furthermore, the texture of the special polyacrylonitrile fibers is expected to have better surface properties, supporting the permeation of molecules as compared with synthetically modified cellulose. In conclusion, both convection and diffusion effectively contribute to the filtration efficiency in a SPAN module, whereas for the SMC membrane, diffusion is the driving force for molecular exchange, the efficiency of which is also considerable and benefits from the large surface-to-volume ratio. 

This chapter provides analytical solutions to mass transfer problems in situations commonly encountered in the pharmaceutical sciences. It deals with diffusion, convection, and generalized mass balance equations that are presented in typical coordinate systems to permit a wide range of problems to be formulated and solved. Typical pharmaceutical problems such as membrane diffusion, drug particle dissolution, and intrinsic dissolution evaluation by rotating disks are used as examples to illustrate the uses of mass transfer equations. 

Membrane transport represents a major application of mass transport theory in the pharmaceutical sciences [4], Since convection is not generally involved, we will use Fick s first and second laws to find flux and concentration across membranes in this section. We begin with the discussion of steady diffusion across a thin film and a membrane with or without aqueous diffusion resistance, followed by steady diffusion across the skin, and conclude this section with unsteady membrane diffusion and membrane diffusion with reaction. 

Similarly, applying the concentration profile of Eq. (38) to membrane diffusion gives... 

A biologically important factor affecting drug absorption is drug metabolism or reaction coincident with diffusion across a membrane. The reaction often produces inactive or less potent products than the parent drug. It is conceivable that the reaction will also reduce the drug flux into the systemic circulation. We are interested in the effect of reaction on membrane diffusion. 

We deal with membrane diffusion no convection is involved (vz = 0). We also assume that the system is at steady state (dcjdt = 0). The generalized mass... 

In order to understand the effect of reaction on membrane diffusion, we use the membrane without reaction as a reference. The corresponding flux [Eq. (39), where c2 is equal to zero] is... 

These two equations represent the effect of reaction on membrane diffusion. 

Membrane diffusion represents over 80% of the diffusion problems of pharmaceutical interest. Membrane diffusion may be called diffusion in a plane sheet, since it involves one-dimensional diffusion in a medium bounded by two parallel... 

Membrane diffusion illustrates the uses of Fick s first and second laws. We discussed steady diffusion across a film, a membrane with and without aqueous diffusion layers, and the skin. We also discussed the unsteady diffusion across a membrane with and without reaction. The solutions to these diffusion problems should be useful in practical situations encountered in pharmaceutical sciences, such as the development of membrane-based controlled-release dosage forms, selection of packaging materials, and experimental evaluation of absorption potential of new compounds. Diffusion in a cylinder and dissolution of a sphere show the solutions of the differential equations describing diffusion in cylindrical and spherical systems. Convection was discussed in the section on intrinsic dissolution. Thus, this chapter covered fundamental mass transfer equations and their applications in practical situations. 

Rigorous calibration is a requirement for the use of the side-by-side membrane diffusion cell for its intended purpose. The diffusion layer thickness, h, is dependent on hydrodynamic conditions, the system geometry, the spatial configuration of the stirrer apparatus relative to the plane of diffusion, the viscosity of the medium, and temperature. Failure to understand the effects of these factors on the mass transport rate confounds the interpretation of the data resulting from the mass transport experiments. 

G Flynn, E Smith. Membrane diffusion I Design and testing of a new multifeatured diffusion cell. J Pharm Sci 11 1713, 1971. 

In addition to faster solute transport rates, the major experimental features of membrane-facilitated transport that distinguish it from membrane diffusion include (1) specificity and selectivity (2) saturability (3) inhibition, activation, and cooperativity (4) transmembrane effects and (5) greater temperature sensitivity than is characteristic of membrane diffusion [42],... 

Two distinguishing features of gastrointestinal active and facilitated transport processes are that they are capacity-limited and inhibitable. Passive transcellular solute flux is proportional to mucosal solute concentration (C), where the proportionality constant is the ratio of the product of membrane diffusion coefficient (Dm) and distribution coefficient (Kd) to the length of the transcellular pathway (Lm). 

The oft-touted argument against a physiological role for HbSNO is that even if it does form in RBCs, the Hb-bound NO has to make quite a journey to get to smooth muscle cells it must first cross the RBC plasma membrane, then the RBC free zone (Liao et al., 1999), then cross the endothelial cell membranes twice and finally go through the smooth muscle membrane. Why would nature adopt such a convoluted route when the endothelial cells next to the smooth muscle cells are producing membrane-diffusable NO ... 

Substrate transport through the film may be formally assimilated to membrane diffusion with a diffusion coefficient defined as12 Ds = Dch( 1 — 9)/pjort. In this equation, the effect of film structure on the transport process in taken into account in two ways. The factor 1—0 stands for the fact that in a plane parallel to the electrode surface and to the coating-solution interface, a fraction 9 of the surface area in made unavailable for linear diffusion (diffusion coefficient Dcj,) by the presence of the film. The tortuosity factor,, defined as the ratio between the average length of the channel and the film thickness, accounts for the fact that the substrate... 

Divine, C.E. and McCray, J.E. 2004, Estimation of membrane diffusion coefficients and equilibration times for low-density polyethylene passive diffusion samplers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38 1849-... 

Nafion absorbs MeOH more selectively than water, and the MeOH diffusion flow is higher than the osmotic water flow in Nafion membranes. Diffusion coefficients of Nafion 117 determined by different techniques have been reported. Ren et al. measured MeOH diffusion coefficients in Nafion 117 membranes exposed to 1.0 M MeOH solutions using pulsed field gradient (PPG) NMR techniques. The MeOH self-diffusion coefficient was 6 x 10 cm S and roughly independent of concentration over the range of 0.5-8.0 M at 30°C. A similar diffusion coefficient was obtained for Nafion 117 at 22°C by Hietala, Maunu, and Sundholm with the same technique. Kauranen and Skou determined the MeOH diffusion coefficient of 4.9 x 10 cm for Nafion... 

Buccal dosage forms can be of the reservoir or the matrix type. Formulations of the reservoir type are surrounded by a polymeric membrane, which controls the release rate. Reservoir systems present a constant release profile provided (1) that the polymeric membrane is rate limiting, and (2) that an excess amoimt of drug is present in the reservoir. Condition (1) may be achieved with a thicker membrane (i.e., rate controlling) and lower diffusivity in which case the rate of drug release is directly proportional to the polymer solubility and membrane diffusivity, and inversely proportional to membrane thickness. Condition (2) may be achieved, if the intrinsic thermodynamic activity of the drug is very low and the device has a thick hydrodynamic diffusion layer. In this case the release rate of the drug is directly proportional to solution solubility and solution diffusivity, and inversely proportional to the thickness of the hydrodynamic diffusion layer. 

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