ABSTRACT
Thermal analysis implies a determination of a specified physical property as a function of temperature or time. Thermal methods can be extremely useful during the course of preformulation studies, as carefully planned work can be used to indicate the existence of possible drug-excipient interactions in a prototype formulation. A computer workstation is commonly used to control, collect, and process data for any thermal analysis technique. Detector units such as the flame-ionization detector or thermal conductivity detector have found extensive use in chromatography and offer no problems in the context of Evolved gas analysis. Isothermal calorimeters, referred to as heat conduction or as heat flow calorimeters, maintain a reaction system close to constant temperature. Isothermal calorimetry has been used as a rapid screen for pharmaceutical materials. In the field of thermal analysis, national and international organizations have collectively made certain recommendations concerning nomenclature, abbreviations, definitions, and standards.
