MAKING A HEADACHE TABLET
UNIY 4C: LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND THEIR APPLICATION
Learning aim: Explore manufacturing techniques and testing methods for an organic
liquid.
P6: Describe the industrial manufacture and testing of an organic solid.
RAW MATERIALS: To produce hard aspirin tablets, corn starch and water
are added to the active ingredient (acetylsalicylic acid) to serve as both a
binding agent and filler, along with a lubricant. Binding agents assist in
holding the tablets together; fillers (diluents) give the tablets increased bulk to
produce tablets of adequate size. A portion of the lubricant is added during
mixing and the rest is added after the tablets are compressed. Lubricant keeps
the mixture from sticking to the machinery.
Lubricant keeps the mixture from sticking to the machinery. Possible
lubricants include: hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid, talc, or aluminium
stearate. Scientists have performed considerable investigation and research to
isolate the most effective lubricant for hard aspirin tablets.
THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS: Aspirin tablets are manufactured in
different shapes. Their weight, size, thickness, and hardness may vary
depending on the amount of the dosage. The upper and lower surfaces of the
tablets may be flat, round, concave, or convex to various degrees. The tablets
may also have a line scored down the middle of the outer surface, so the
tablets can be broken in half, if desired. The tablets may be engraved with a
symbol or letters to identify the manufacturer.
Aspirin tablets of the same dosage amount are manufactured in batches. After
careful weighing, the necessary ingredients are mixed and compressed into
units of granular mixture called slugs. The slugs are then filtered to remove air
and lumps, and are compressed again (or punched) into numerous individual
tablets.
WEIGHING: The corn starch, the active ingredient, and the lubricant are
weighed separately in sterile canisters to determine if the ingredients meet pre-
determined specifications for the batch size and dosage amount
MIXING: The corn starch is dispensed into cold purified water, then heated
and stirred until a translucent paste forms. The corn starch, the active
ingredient, and part of the lubricant are next poured into one sterile canister,
UNIY 4C: LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND THEIR APPLICATION
Learning aim: Explore manufacturing techniques and testing methods for an organic
liquid.
P6: Describe the industrial manufacture and testing of an organic solid.
RAW MATERIALS: To produce hard aspirin tablets, corn starch and water
are added to the active ingredient (acetylsalicylic acid) to serve as both a
binding agent and filler, along with a lubricant. Binding agents assist in
holding the tablets together; fillers (diluents) give the tablets increased bulk to
produce tablets of adequate size. A portion of the lubricant is added during
mixing and the rest is added after the tablets are compressed. Lubricant keeps
the mixture from sticking to the machinery.
Lubricant keeps the mixture from sticking to the machinery. Possible
lubricants include: hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid, talc, or aluminium
stearate. Scientists have performed considerable investigation and research to
isolate the most effective lubricant for hard aspirin tablets.
THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS: Aspirin tablets are manufactured in
different shapes. Their weight, size, thickness, and hardness may vary
depending on the amount of the dosage. The upper and lower surfaces of the
tablets may be flat, round, concave, or convex to various degrees. The tablets
may also have a line scored down the middle of the outer surface, so the
tablets can be broken in half, if desired. The tablets may be engraved with a
symbol or letters to identify the manufacturer.
Aspirin tablets of the same dosage amount are manufactured in batches. After
careful weighing, the necessary ingredients are mixed and compressed into
units of granular mixture called slugs. The slugs are then filtered to remove air
and lumps, and are compressed again (or punched) into numerous individual
tablets.
WEIGHING: The corn starch, the active ingredient, and the lubricant are
weighed separately in sterile canisters to determine if the ingredients meet pre-
determined specifications for the batch size and dosage amount
MIXING: The corn starch is dispensed into cold purified water, then heated
and stirred until a translucent paste forms. The corn starch, the active
ingredient, and part of the lubricant are next poured into one sterile canister,
