Reference database of Raman spectra of pharmaceutical excipients

Abstract Raman spectroscopy has evolved into an important fast, direct and nondestructive technique in pharmaceutical analysis. Usually, the focus in this field is mainly on the active ingredients and not on the excipients present in the drugs. A collection of Raman spectra of widely used pharmaceutical excipients is presented in this article, which can serve as a reference for the interpretation of Raman spectra during drug analysis (including classical qualitative and quantitative pharmaceutical analysis, counterfeit tracing and process analytical technology (PAT) applications). The 43 analyzed excipients can be classified into seven categories: mono‐ and disaccharides (dextrose, lactitol, maltitol, lactose and sucrose), polysaccharides (microcrystalline cellulose, methylcellulose (MC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), wheat starch, maltodextrin, primojel, tragacanth and pectin), polyalcohols (propylene glycol, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol), carboxylic acids and salts (alginic acid, glycine, magnesium stearate, sodium acetate and sodium benzoate), esters (arachis oil, lubritab, dibutyl sebacate, triacetin, Eudragit E100 and Eudragit RL100), inorganic compounds (calcium phosphate, talc, anatase and rutile (TiO 2 ), calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and calcium sulfate) and some unclassified products [gelatin, macrogol 4000 (polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl pyrrolidone and sodium lauryl sulfate]. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.