Gas Chromatographic Method for Identification and Quantification of Commonly Used Residual Solvents in Pharmaceuticals Products

Background: Impurities are not expected in the final pharmaceutical products. All impurities should be regulated in both drug substances and drug products in accordance with pharmacopeias and ICH guidelines. Three different types of impurities are generally available in the pharmaceutical’s product specification: organic impurities, inorganic impurities, and residual solvents. Residual solvents are organic volatile chemicals used or generated during the manufacturing of drug substances or drug products. Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop a cost-effective gas chromatographic method for the identification and quantification of some commonly used solvents—methanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran (THF), benzene, toluene, and pyridine—in pharmaceutical product manufacturing. This method will be able to identify and quantify the multiple solvents within a single gas chromatographic procedure. Method: A gas chromatography (GC) equipped with a headspace sampler and a flame ionization detector, and a column DB 624, 30-meter-long × 0.32-millimeter internal diameter, 1,8 μm-thick, Brand-Agilent was used to develop this method. The initial GC oven temperature was 40°C and held for 5 minutes. It was then increase to 80？C at a rate of 2？C per minute, followed by a further increase to 225？C at a rate of 30？C per minute, with a final hold at 225？C for 10 minutes. Nitrogen was used as a carrier gas at a flow rate of 1.20 mL per minute. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was selected as sample solvent. Results: The developed method is precise and specific. The percent RSD for the areas of six replicate injections of this gas chromatographic method was within 10.0 and the recovery result found within 80.0% to 120.0%.