DSC can be an instrument for analysis of pharmaceuticals in terms of quality control, research and development and also product characterization. Besides the composition of a drug, its exact crystal structure and phase is important and described by patents. Small changes in humidity and composition can affect the structure and let it become a different product with different mode of action.
In this example, sorbitol, a synthetic C-6 sugar-alcohol that is used frequently as replacement for sugar in Sweets, Diet products and as carrier substance for pharmaceuticals, was investigated by Chip-DSC 10 with quench cooler.
The purpose of the measurement was to show the influence of grade of humidity on the structure of the product. Two samples, one with 5.4 % water content and a water-free sample were measured from -70°C to 50°C. As you can see, the glass point from water-free sorbitol (blue curve) at -3.9°C is lowered to -28.7°C if the sample contains 5.4 % water (red curve). This may also affect the crystal structure of the solid and can be important for the storage conditions.
