Raman spectroscopy: A potential technique in analysis of pharmaceuticals

The characterization of drug and drug intermediates is necessary in the drug development process, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. Various analytical techniques are employed for this purpose. The selection of the technique depends upon many parameters including ease in use, reproducible and accurate results. Raman spectroscopy is one of those techniques which have immense potential in the analysis of pharmaceuticals. It has been widely utilized in many other areas like food and dyestuff industry, but has been very limitedly used in the pharmaceutical industry for drug characterization. However recent literature reflects ongoing application of Raman spectroscopy in pharmaceuticals. These studies demonstrate how transmission Raman spectroscopy can be used in the quantitative, non-invasive probing of the bulk content. It can be used in characterization of drug molecules to reveal the solid-state properties arising from polymorphism and quantitative applications in formulations. The range of applications can be expanded further if Raman spectroscopy is used in conjunction with the conventional techniques like IR. Infact, Raman spectroscopy exhibits several advantages over IR and the other physical analytical techniques. This review presents an exhaustive to Raman spectroscopy and its several applications with special focus on pharmaceuticals

Author(s): Pushkar P. Kalantri, Rakesh R. Somani and Dinesh T. Makhija

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