Viscosity Measurement of CO2–Solvent Mixtures for the Study of the Morphology and Size of Crystalline Particles Obtained Using Supercritical Antisolvent Precipitation

Abstract

The viscosity values of CO2–dimethylphormamide, chloroform, methanol, isopropanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, and dimethyl sulfoxide mixtures were measured at a pressure of 150 bar and a temperature of 313 K. The correlation of the mean size of levofloxacin hydrochloride and malonic acid particles precipitated using the SAS method with the viscosity of the used CO2–solvent mixtures is shown. The high viscosity of the mixtures leads to slower mixing of the solution and the antisolvent. Therefore, crystallization occurs at large fractions of the solvent, and as a consequence at a lower supersaturation. This causes the formation of larger particles when using more viscous solvents in SAS.