Powders

Mr. Ravikumar R Patil
Dr. Shivajirao Kadam College of Pharmacy

Introduction
POWDER
- Powders are the mixture of finely divided drug or
chemicals in dry form.
- They are used for internally & externally.
- They are available in crystalline or amorphous form.
- There is a relationship between particle size of powder &
dissolution, absorption & therapeutic effect of drug.

Advantages of Powders
 Powders are more stable than liquid dosage form.
 The chance of incompatibility are less as compared to liquid
dosage form.
 The onset of action of powdered drug is rapid as compared to
other solid dosage form e.g. tablet, capsules. Due to smaller
particle size of powder, it get dissolved easily in body fluids.
 Larger quty. of powdered drugs can be administered to the
patient orally by dissolving or mixing the powder in the
suitable liquid.
 Small children or elderly patient can easily take the powdered
drug as such or dispersed in water or any other liquid.
 Powders are more economical as compared with other dosage
form because not required any special machinery or
technique.
 Powders are more easy to carry than the liquid dosage form.

Disadvantages of Powders
 Drugs having bitter, nauseous & unpleasant taste cannot
be dispensed in powdered form.
 Deliquescent & hygroscopic drugs cannot be dispensed in
powder form.
 Drugs which get affected by atmospheric conditions are
not suitable for dispensing in powder forms.
 The dispensing of powder is a time consuming.

Classification of Powders
1. Bulk powder for internal use.
2. Bulk powder for external use.
3. Simple & Compound powder for internal use.
4. Powders enclosed in cachets & capsules.
5. Compressed powders (Tablets)

Bulk Powder for Internal Use
 When accuracy of dosage form is not required or is not
important at that time powders are dispensed in bulk
form.
 Bulk powder contains several doses of powder.
 They are supplied in wide-mouthed containers that
permits easy removal of a spoonful powder.
 The non potent substances which are supplied in bulk are
antacid & laxative etc.
 E.g. rhubarb powder

Bulk Powder for External Use
 Bulk powder for external use are non potent substance.
 These powders are supplied in cardboard, glass or plastic
containers, which are often designed for the specific
method of application.
 The dusting powders are supplied in perforated or sifter
top containers.
 The bulk powders which are commonly used for external
applications are follows:
- Dusting Powders
- Insufflations
- Snuffs
- Dentifrices

 Dusting Powders:
- These are used for external application on the skin &
generally applied in very fine state to avoid local irritation.
- Therefore, dusting powder should be passed through sieve
no. 80 or 120 to enhance their effectiveness.
- Dusting powders are 2 types: i. Medical ii. Surgical
- Medical & surgical dusting powders are free from
pathogenic microorganism.
- Medical & Surgical dusting powders before use must be
sterilised by dry heat method at 1600 C for 2 hrs.
- Surgical dusting powders are used in body cavities & also
used on burn case & umbilical cord of infants.
- Whereas, medical dusting powders are generally use on
superficial skin condition.

 Cont..
- In the preparation of dusting powder the talc or kaolin,
starch are used commonly because these are chemically
inert.
- But, such ingredients are readily contaminated with
pathogenic bacteria so, these must be sterilised before their
use by dry heat sterilisation method.
- The dusting powders are dispensed in sifter or aerosol
containers.
- Dusting powders are generally non- toxic but inhalation of its
fine powdered ingredients by infants may lead to pulmonary
inflammation. So proper care should be taken while
handling.
- Use : Antiseptic, Astringent, Absorbent, Antiperspirant

 E.g of Dusting powder
Rx,
Purified talc, sterilised 50 gm
Starch powder 25 gm
Zinc oxide powder 20 gm
Salicylic acid powder 5 gm
Procedure: weigh accurately all the powders & mix them
ascending order of their weight. Pass the mixed powder
through sieve no 85 or 120. after sieving mix them lightly &
Transfer into sifter top container & protect it from
atmospheric contamination.
Direction: Applied on the affected part two or three times a
day.
Use: Zinc oxide use for astringent & antiseptic & salicylic acid
used for antiseptic & fungicidal.

 Insufflations:
- These are medicated dusting powder.
- they are introduced into body cavities such as, nose, throat,
ears & vagina with the help of an apparatus “Insufflator”.
- Nowadays, the insufflations are available in the form of
pressure aerosols & these aerosols used for potent drugs.
- Insufflations are used to produce a local effect in the
treatment of ear, nose, throat infection with antibiotics or to
produce a systemic effect from a drug that is destroyed in the
gut.

 Snuffs:
- These are finely divided solid dosage
form of medicament.
- Which are inhaled into nostrils for
antiseptic, bronchodilator &
decongestion action.
- Snuffs are dispensed in flat metal
boxes or glass container with hinged
lid.

 Dentifrices:
- These are applied on tooth surface with help of brush.
- In that contains suitable detergent or soap, some abrasive
substance & suitable flavoring agents are involved.
- Abrasive agents such as calcium sulphate, calcium carbonate,
sodium carbonate & sodium chloride are use in fine powder.
- E.g.
Rx,
Hard soap powder 50 gm
Calcium carbonate powder 935 gm
Saccharin sodium 2 gm
Peppermint oil 4 ml
Cinnamon oil 2 ml
Methyl salicylate 8 ml

Simple & Compound Powders for Internal
Use
 In this form of powder, each individual dose is enclosed in
paper.
 The number of ingredient is one i.e. simple powder while
more than one i.e. compound powder.
 The minimum quty of each powder should not be less then
100 mg for it can be handled conveniently by patient & can
be weighed accurately.

Simple & Compound Powders for Internal Use
 SIMPLE POWDER:
- In simple powder contains only one ingredient either in
crystalline form or amorphous form.
- If powder present in crystalline form then it is reduced to
fine powder, weighed the powder & divided into number of
doses & wrapped as individual dose.
- E.g. Dispensed six powders of Aspirin each powder contains
300 mg of aspirin
- Rx,
Aspirin 300 mg
Procedure: powder the aspirin & weigh the required quty of
aspirin. Weigh 300 mg of aspirin for each powder & wrap
each powder in individual powder paper.
Direction: One powder to be taken after every eight hours.

 COMPOUND POWDERS:
- Compound powders contains two or more than two substances
which are mixed together.
- Then divided into desired number of individual doses.
- Then dispensed into each powder paper.
- E.g Dispense eight powder of A.P.C each powder contains 500mg
of A.P.C
- Rx,
Aspirin 300 mg
Paracetamol 150 mg
Caffeine 50 mg
Procedure: weigh accurately of each powder & mix them as per
ascending order of their weight. Weigh 500 mg of the mixed
powder for each powder & wrap each dose individual in powder
paper.
Simple & Compound Powders for Internal Use

Powders enclosed in cachets &
capsules
 Cachets are solid dosage form of drug & cachets are also
called as wafer capsules.
 These are molded from rice flour.
 Rice paper prepared from mixture of rice flour with water
enclosed in between two hot, polished, cylinders.
 Then water was evaporates & wafer is formed.
 In the cachets 0.2 to 1.5 gm nauseous or disagreeable drugs in
powder form are enclosed.

 Cachets are quite hard so, before swallowing they dipped in
water for seconds & then placed on the tongue & swallowed
with draught of water.
 After swallowing the cachets gets disintegrate & drug is
released.
 ADVANTAGES OF CACHETS:
- Made easily..
- Disintegrate quickly in stomach
- Drug can be easily dispensed
- Large dose of drug can be swallowed by using cachets.
Powders enclosed in cachets &
capsules

 DISADVANTAGES OF CACHETS:
- Required soften before use or swallowing.
- Easily damaged.
- Cannot be protect the enclosed drug from light & moisture.
- Shell of cachets are fragile so, drug contents cannot be
compressed.
- They are not suitable for filling the drug in large scale.
- They occurs more space compae with tablets & capsules solid
dosage form.
Powders enclosed in cachets & capsules

 Cachets are two types:
- Wet seal cachets
- Dry seal cachets
- WET SEAL CACHETS:
- A wet seal cachets is made up of two similar convex halves
having flat edges.
- The weighed of powder drug is placed in one half, the edge of
other half are moistened with water & placed exactly over the
first half containing the drug.
- The flat edges of both the halves are pressed together in
order to seal it perfectly.

 DRY SEAL CACHETS:
- Dry seal cachets consists of two halves, the upper half &
lower half.
- The diameter of upper half is slightly larger than lower half.
- The powdered drug is filled in lower half & upper half is
fitted over it.
- The filled cachets are then sealed in a machine by pressing
the two halves, removed & packed in boxes.
- B.P.C includes two cachets sodium aminosalicylate & sodium
aminosalicylate with isoniazid.

 In that powders moulded into tablets.
 They are flat, circular disc & usually contains potent drug.
 In that potent drugs are mixed with lactose, dextrose or some
other diluents.
 The used apparatus is made up of stainless steel or plastic.
 It consist of upper & lower perforated plates & having the
same numbers of halves.
 The lower plate also have two large pegs which ensure correct
fitting of the plates.
 They are available in several sizes having a capacity ranging
from 30 to 250 mg.
 Generally 50 to 250 tablet triturates can be prepared at a time
from a tablet triturate mould.
Compressed powders (Tablets) or Tablet Triturates
or Moulded Tablets

 The powder with diluents are mixed
together & made a stiff paste with the
help of alcohol 60%.
 Then, paste is introduced on upper
plate with the help of spatula & fill all
the holes & removes excess.
 This plate is placed over the lower plate.
 Then little pressure is applied over the
top plate which will force the plate
move downward, leaving the mould
tablet on the projected pegs.
 Then, prepared tablets dried in hot air
oven or by keeping in warm place.
Compressed powders (Tablets) or Tablet Triturates
or Moulded Tablets

Dispensing of Powders Involving Special
Problems
 Volatile Substances:
- Certain vegetable powder contains volatile oil.
- To prevent the loss of volatile oils, these vegetable drugs must
be powdered lightly in a mortar.
- Also, menthol, camphor & essential oils takes place
incorporation in powder.
- Final product pack with double wrapping.

 Hygroscopic & deliquescent powders:
- Absorb the moisture from atmosphere are called hygroscopic
powders.
- Absorb the moisture from atmosphere & convert into solution are
called deliquescent powders.
- E.g. ammonium chloride, ammonium citrate, pepsin,
phenobarbitone, sodium iodide etc.
- Such substance are usually provide in granular form in order to
exposé less surface area to atmosphere & avoid convert into fine
powder.
- Such powder should be double wrapped.
Problems

 Efflorescent powders:
- Some crystalline substance liberates water of crystallisation
wholly or partly on exposure to humid atmosphere.
- e.g. citric acid, caffeine, ferrous sulphate etc.
- So, this problem overcome by mixing or incorporate with
inert substance or using anhydrous slat.
Problems

 Eutectic mixture:
 Liquids:
- In some prescription the liquid medicaments are also
incorporated with powders.
- In that case, if liquid quty is small, it may be triturated with
equal amount of powder, then the reset of the ingredients are
incorporated in small proportions with continuous stirring.
Problems

 Potent drugs:
- The substance having a max. dose of less than 60 mg & poisonous
substances are called potent drugs.
- It should be difficult to weigh on dispensing balance.
- For that, firstly potent drugs incorporated with diluents such as
lactose before weigh.
- e.g. Dispense following powder in 5 powder packets
- Rx,
Codeine phosphate 10 mg
In that case, weigh 100 mg of codeine phosphate & 900 mg of lactose
mixed with ascending order with help of spatula.
Out of 1 gm of triturate, weigh 100 mg of each powder contains 10
mg of codeine phosphate & pack in powder paper.
Problems

 Granular powders:
- Some solid medicaments required to administered in orally in
large dose & its not possible to convert into tablet or capsule bec. a
large number of them will be required to take single dose.
- And these medicaments are difficult to dispense in powder form
bec. Its bitter, nauseous & unpleasant taste.
- In this case, solid medicaments mix with sweetening, flavoring &
coloring agent with suitable granulating agent to moisten the
powder to make coherent mass.
- Then, pass through sieve no. 10 to make granules & dry in hot air
oven at 600C & after drying pass through sieve no. 20 & pack into
wide mouth containers.
- E.g. Nowadays, antibiotics like erythromycin, ampicillin etc are
available in granular powder bec. They are unstable in liquid form.
Problems

 Effervescent granules:
- These type of medicament granules are prepared for internal
use.
- In that, medicaments mixed with citric acid, tartaric acid &
sodium bicarbonate with sweetening agents also present.
- When contact with water they release of carbon dioxide to
mask the bitter & saline taste of drug.
- Also, carbon dioxide stimulates the flow of gastric juice &
helps in the absorption of medicaments.
- METHODS OF PREPARATION OF EFFERVESCENT
GRANULES:
- Heat Method
- Wet Method

Heat Method:
- Firstly, porcelain dish make hot on water bath before transferring
the powder.
- Then, transfer the medicament with citric acid & other
ingredients.
- In that stage citric acid liberates the water & produce dump mass.
- Heating stage takes 1 to 5 mint.
- Then damp mass pass through sieve & dry in hot air oven at 600 C.
- Then finally packed in air tight container.

Wet Method
- In this method, the ingredients are mixed with alcohol to
produce coherent mass.
- Produced mass pass through sieve no 10 or 8 & dry in hot air
oven at 600 C.
- Then dried granules are again passed through sieve to break
the lumps which may be formed during drying.
- Finally, the prepared granules are packed in air tight
containers.

MIXING OF POWDERS
 Spatulation
 Trituration
 Geometric dilution
 Sifting
 Tumbling

Cont..
 Spatulation: mixing the powders with help of spatula on a
paper or sheet.
 Trituration: it is used for reduce of size & for mixing of
powders.
 Geometric dilution: for potent drugs..
 Sifting: the powders are mixed by passing through sifters.
 Tumbling: tumbling is the process of mixing powders in a
large container rotated by an electric motor. These type of
blenders are widely used in industry as large volume of
powder mixers.

Packing of Powder
 Double wrapping:
- In that, wrap the powders by using two different types
of paper.
- Outer paper is plain paper while inner wrapping is of
gelatin paper.

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