Spectrophotometric identity tests

One cannot fail to note the vast expansion of the collection in the last few decades. Surely this was not fueled by additional biologic assays. Underlying the initial growth phase was the widespread utilization of spectrophotometry for identification and assay. Separation science was the second phase in pharmaceutical industry control laboratories. As a corollary, USP and NF method selection moved in the same direction. Spectrophotometric identity tests and assays are more reliable, especially for compliance testing, when performed in the relative mode, which uses a reference standard, rather than the absolute mode, which is the norm in titrimetry. There is some residual difference of opinion in other countries on this point, but that is rendered moot by the widespread adoption of separation science by the pharmaceutical industry and, thus, by the compendia. It is a characteristic of chromatographic methods that a reference standard be required, sometimes more than one for a procedure. The accumulation of modern tests and assays results in 5 to 10 uses for many reference standards. 

Application of the analytical techniques discussed thus far focuses upon detection of proteinaceous impurities. A variety of additional tests are undertaken that focus upon the active substance itself. These tests aim to confirm that the presumed active substance observed by electrophoresis, HPLC, etc. is indeed the active substance, and that its primary sequence (and, to a lesser extent, higher orders of structure) conform to licensed product specification. Tests performed to verify the product identity include amino acid analysis, peptide mapping, N-terminal sequencing and spectrophotometric analyses. 

The state of uniform application of a paint film which, when dry, exhibits identical spectrophotometric curves over a perfect white of 100% reflectance and a perfect black of 0% reflectance. In the Kulblka-Munk equations, spectrophotometric hiding is defined as R o at all wavelengths. Koleske JV (ed) (1995) Paint and coating testing manual. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA. 

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