Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Confirmation with X-ray Diffraction

Comparison plots of XRD patterns

Advantages of XRD

• Detect and identify narcotics, counterfeits, and unknown materials
• Safe, fast analysis of hazardous material
• Easy-to-use instruments for field or lab analysis
• Closed beam operation for user safety
• Portable or benchtop diffractometer

Pharmaceutical companies spend millions of dollars developing and marketing medications. When counterfeit medications are sold under their brand name it not only harms the company’s reputation and profits but, more importantly, it puts patients at risk of being exposed to harmful substances or ineffective formulations. Pharmaceutical drugs display specific XRD fingerprints that can be used to identify counterfeit medications.

• Rapid identification of counterfeit pharmaceuticals
• Detect the presence of active and inactive ingredients as well as foreign and substitute materials
• Help ensure patient safety and safeguard pharmaceutical manufacturer’s branding

XRD data analysis reveals the presence of filler materials (gypsum and basanite) in a blue pill expected to contain a popular name brand drug

Customs: Narcotics Identification

Police and legal teams need a fast, conclusive method to detect illegal substances. Olympus XRD analyzers provide rapid compound identification of unknown substances. Narcotics have unique XRD fingerprints that can be used to identify suspect materials.

• Fast, easy sample preparation and analysis for rapid results
• Sample spinner cell is safe for analyzing potentially hazardous materials
• Sealed cell enables samples to be archived for future analysis

Safe and Easy Sample Preparation

Our unique sample spinner design enables safe, easy handling of hazardous substances.

• Small sample size—approximately 15 mg
• Minimal preparation—no additional grinding required
• Sealed sample cell—safe for volatiles
• Archivable samples—sealed sample cells can be stored for future evidence