Why Particle Size Analysis Is So Useful In The Lab

The particle size of a particular material is data which is incredibly useful for

both quantitative and qualitative material analysis applications and is directly related to the outcome of a wide range of processes in the laboratory as well as in the production environment. Particle sizing is a topic of great importance in many industries, with this kind of information on materials being especially important in the pharmaceuticals industry.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is an environment where the size of the particles which make up a solid, liquid or gaseous substance which is an ingredient in a drug or a necessary addition to the delivery system of a medication can make an enormous difference to the function of the end product. While particle sizing is very easy when dealing with a spherical particle, this is of course very rare in the real world. With most particles, the particle size is determined through one or more of a wide variety of different techniques.

Some of the more common methods used to determine the size of particles in a sample material is the volume-based method, which involves a sort of thought experiment; the size of the particle in question is measured by using a hypothetical particle which actually is spherical and shares properties with the material being studied in the particle sizing process. Similarly, there is the weight based method, the area based method and the aerodynamic (or hydrodynamic) method which involves basing the calculation of particle size on a hypothetical spherical particle which shares a drag coefficient with the particle actually being tested.

Other methods of determining the size of a particle include the very popular sieve analysis method; this is a simple and cost effective analytical technique which yields results which are easy to interpret. Sieve analysis can be as simple as shaking a sample material in sieves. Eventually, the amount of the sample which is retained in the sieve will remain more or less constant, providing relatively reliable information on the size of the particles in the sample material.

Another commonly used particle sizing method is photoanalysis. This method determines particle size by photographing the sample material and using software to perform the analytical process. Photoanalysis can provide quick results which are much more accurate than those obtained using the lower-tech method of sieve analysis as well as making it unnecessary to handle the sample during the process and introducing the possibility of human error.

Electroresistance is another analytical method which can be used to provide reliable, accurate data on the size of particles in a sample. A Coulter counter is one of the instruments used in the electroresistance method of particle sizing. This instrument is used to define a sample's particle size through measurement of the variations in conductivity of a liquid through which the particles pass.

Other methods include sedimentation analysis, laser diffraction and acoustic spectroscopy, all of which can also be employed to find the size of a particle being analyzed. Other than the single-method techniques, there are also many instruments which combine more than one analytical methodology to provide accurate information on a given particle.

by: Andrew Long

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