RAMAN SUPPLEMENT


a compendial monograph has been identified to as a barrier for Raman. This is no longer the case. To go into manufacturing the lack of hazardous area certification was also been cited (mid 2000’s) but today analysers are available with appropriate ATEX certification. As the majority of readers are aware, the


industry is changing and there is a push for continuous manufacturing. In these cases, Raman offers a lot of benefits. The ability to easily interface to a small liquid or solids stream, non-destructive sampling, robust analytical methods based on either univariate or


Mike Claybourn: Raman has long been viewed as a research tool and it needs a strong body of published data on real applications that demonstrate added benefit to a business. One of the main improvements is solution-designed systems that target the application in terms of engineering, optics and software. The cost of instrumentation has to be realistic and has to be measured against the return on investment. Back-of-envelope calculations are not enough. Taking an off-the-shelf technology has a huge application and method development overhead, hence solution focused designs.


optimal configuration is the way forward. Data interpretation can be a challenge. The future is the iPod/iPad generation.


Smarter, sexier systems!


Ian Lewis: If by basic Raman spectral interpretation you are talking about individuals who can walk up and look at a spectrum and determine a chemical entity’s structure from its Raman bands then these are a dying breed. This isn’t unique to Raman analysis but this statement would be true for IR, MS, NMR etc. The days of the expert spectral interpreter have been replaced by spectral libraries, clustering algorithms and faith. By faith, I mean that some practitioners will observe a unique feature in the spectrum and follow this but may not understand what the feature relates to, the band or bands are just a ‘trending’ indicator. However this question also leads back to


answer one, a Raman spectrum offers a high level of spectral density which can provide knowledge on specific chemical moieties


“If by basic Raman spectral interpretation you are talking


about individuals who can walk up and look at a spectrum and determine a chemical entity’s


structure from its Raman bands then these are a dying breed”


multivariate approaches, lack of consumables, rapid sampling times, and support by major PAT process control software infrastructures support the goals of high quality, continuous, sustainable, and green manufacturing. Finally let’s look at limitations for Raman,


Raman is not a trace (low ppm technology) nor is it the correct approach for every problem nor is one analyser right for every application. As long as success stories continue to appear and an appropriate Raman analyser has been evaluated, Raman will continue to grow and expand beyond the current niches.


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With the advancement of instrument control software and chemometric packages for data processing, what role does basic Raman spectral interpretation have in pharmaceutical analysis? What needs to be done to ensure technique exposure for the scientists of the future?


Mike Claybourn: Raman is moving away from experts towards problem solvers. Smart systems with self diagnostics that remove the need for expert understanding of how to set up an


or environments. Whether you arrive at knowledge by manual means or in an automated fashion with libraries etc., the ability to provide basic chemical understanding to aid in analysis is a key benefit of Raman. Couple this with non-destructive sampling, in-situ analysis capability and simple calibra- tion transfer that can allow a manufacturing operation to be deployed around the world, and you have a powerful combination of properties. For the future, it’s all about application


success stories and communication. Over the last five years, more and more application success stories have appeared at all levels within the industry, for example, HTS, QA/QC laboratory, in- situ analysis, wet-granulations, drying, formulations development, blend uniformity, content uniformity etc. Finally, of course, more filling of the use of Raman for process monitoring and control of critical quality attributes as a PAT tool in a Quality by Design paradigm will improve Raman’s reputation and familiarity.


European Pharmaceutical Review 21 Volume 16 | Issue 5 | 2011


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