Pharmaceutical glass
Type II-glass for the pharmaceutical industry Dirk Diederich* and Marina Puhrer** discuss the boom in demand for pharmaceutical glass as a result of Covid and how this has led to a need for cost-effective soda-lime glass with high hydrolytical resistance.
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� Fig 1. Type III-bottles with corrosion visualized via methyl blue.
� Fig 2. SEM-image of the damaged surface of a
� Fig 3. Silicon-flakes in a SEM-image in a filter of
type II-bottle.
a type II-bottle.
� Fig 4. Type II-bottles treated with distinct media
� Fig 5. Microscopic image of a type II-bottles
with corrosion visualised by methyl blue.
treated with citrate and coloured with methyl blue.
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G
lass as a packaging material is the first choice due to its special properties. It is chemical inert, can be thermally treated without any problems and protects the medium stored inside from contamination. In general, glass containers are divided into type I, type II, and type III due to alkali release and, thus, hydrolytic resistance. Since medicines and vaccines are usually stored in type I, the international COVID19-pandemic has led to a substantial demand for type I glass vials. This has also increased the need for alternative and more cost-effective soda-lime glasses with high hydrolytical resistance in the pharmaceutical industry. This type II-glass is created using a socalled inner coating, which decreases the migration at the glass surface towards alkaline, acidic, and aqueous solutions. Therefore, these type II-glasses are the best choice for most parentals. Common corrosion tests of inner glass surfaces are carried out using water as medium and evaluated regarding the leaching of alkalines. It is particularly interesting for the pharmaceutical industry to learn how the media attacks the glasses they are stored in.
47 Glass International February 2022
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15/02/2022 15:11:58
