Evaluation of Mixing Process of Magnesium Stearate as Lubricant and the Spatial Distribution of Chemical Components in a Tablet by Vibrational Spectroscopic Imaging

Abstract

In the work presented in this paper, a mixing procedure for a tableting process was evaluated using a simple formulation with Magnesium Stearate as the lubricant. Assessment of the spatial distribution of chemical components in a tablet can be effectively accomplished by Vibrational Spectroscopic Imaging techniques that employ Raman spectroscopy and NIR spectroscopy.We show that, by selecting the proper rotation speed for the high speed mixer selected, similar drug release and tablet hardness parameters can be achieved between a tumbling type mixer and a twin shell mixer. Additionally by changing the time of mixing we can produce samples from both mixing methods with similar drug release rates. We relate these release rates to the hardness of the tablets, the tablet and, ultimately, to the distribution and particle size of the drug and lubricant on the surface of the tablets evaluated using the spectroscopic imaging techniques cited above.