A Facile Microwave-Mediated Drying Process of Thermally Unstable / Labile Products

Abstract

The drying behavior of (S)-N-acetylindoline-2-carboxylic acid, precipitated (1a, 17 wt %) and nonprecipitated (1b, 5 wt %), and N-acetyl-(S)-phenylalanine ((S)-2-acetamido-3-phenylpropanoic acid, 2), both pharmaceutical intermediates, and of cocarboxylase hydrochloride (thiamine pyrophosphate, 3), a coenzyme, a bioactive form of vitamin B1, being a thermolabile substance, has been determined in straightforward drying setups. The method of supplying energy to the system had a profound influence on the drying rate and on the internal temperature of the samples during drying. The drying time of (S)-N-acetylindoline-2-carboxylic acid (1b) with the low moisture content (5 wt %) could be reduced by a factor 4 using microwave irradiation instead of conventional heating, while keeping the sample temperature under 35 °C. N-Acetyl-(S)-phenylalanine (2) with a higher moisture content (22 wt %) demonstrated a decrease in drying time by a factor 2.5 to 4 depending on the applied microwave powers. A reduction in drying...