In SFED process, the drug to be micronized is dissolved into a solvent to form a solution at a certain temperature and pressure. The solution contacts with ScCO2 and a solid–liquid–gas ternary phase mixture formed while the ScCO2 dissolves into the solution. The ternary mixture is sprayed through a nozzle and undergoes expansion depressurization, generating primary microdroplets at the exit of the nozzle. The ScCO2 and solvent are rapidly released from the primary droplets. Rapid gasification of the ScCO2 and solvent in the droplets results in the precipitation of fine drug particles. In this process, the ScCO2 in the solvent serves 2 purposes:
kafetzou에 의해서 마지막으로 검증 또는 수정되었습니다 - 2007년 8월 6일 06:05
ScCO2 is supercritical carbon dioxide. In the original text it is written as supercritical CO2.
Supercritical is an "unusual" state of matter in Chemistry where both liquid and gaseous states of a compound co-exist and are indistinguishable from each other (an interesting and exciting discovery with many useful applications)
"ternary" is a fancy word in chemistry that means "containing 3 things" (in ordinary English, I'd have said "containing 3 elements", but as it is, "elements" cannot be lightly used in Chemistry. ) "Ternary phase mixture" thus means "a phase mixture that contains 3 different phases" (a term that is unnecessarily complicated, but that's science for you. )
Wow - thanks for the chemistry lesson - and to think I have a B.A. in Biology!!! Oh well, I left science in 1982 ... before most of you guys were born.