Report of Preparation and Stability of Liquid Paraffin Emulsions
Report on the preparation and stability of liquid Paraffin Emulsion
Abstract
This study describes the preparation of a Liquid Paraffin Emulsion from Paraffin oil, Emulsifying agents and Distilled water. This report will also evaluate the stability of the Liquid Paraffin Emulsion depending on how the emulsion is produced and whether using different methods of mixing will produce a more stable Paraffin Emulsion.
Introduction
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally not formed into a homogeneous mixture when mixed. Emulsions are part of a more general class and are used in various cosmetics and pharmaceutical drugs such as Calamine lotion and cod liver oil tablets. This experiment will hopefully provide us with the information required on how to create liquid paraffin and also how changing the surfactants can also affect the stability of the final product. When two immiscible liquids are used to prepare medicinal compounds in a Pharmacy it is very difficult to make them as a single phase for long period, therefore the third substance is added to the system; these are called ‘surfactants’. A ‘Surfactant’ is a term used to describe surface acting agents. A substance which tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved, which is made up of an equal amount of polar and non- polar portions of each molecule. By the end of the experiment we should also be able to establish whether increasing the Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) or Polysorbate 80 (tween 80) would make the solution more stable of less stable and also to establish the optimum surfactant blend gathered by the HLB value to prepare the emulsion.
Method
Every student was given a unique target HLB value between 5 and 13. From this we had to establish what amounts (in g) of Span 80 and Tween 80 were required to produce the required HLB.
The target HLB value we were given was 13
Therefore:
Fsp = ((target HLB value)-15)/-10.7 = (13-15)/10.7
Abstract
This study describes the preparation of a Liquid Paraffin Emulsion from Paraffin oil, Emulsifying agents and Distilled water. This report will also evaluate the stability of the Liquid Paraffin Emulsion depending on how the emulsion is produced and whether using different methods of mixing will produce a more stable Paraffin Emulsion.
Introduction
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally not formed into a homogeneous mixture when mixed. Emulsions are part of a more general class and are used in various cosmetics and pharmaceutical drugs such as Calamine lotion and cod liver oil tablets. This experiment will hopefully provide us with the information required on how to create liquid paraffin and also how changing the surfactants can also affect the stability of the final product. When two immiscible liquids are used to prepare medicinal compounds in a Pharmacy it is very difficult to make them as a single phase for long period, therefore the third substance is added to the system; these are called ‘surfactants’. A ‘Surfactant’ is a term used to describe surface acting agents. A substance which tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved, which is made up of an equal amount of polar and non- polar portions of each molecule. By the end of the experiment we should also be able to establish whether increasing the Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) or Polysorbate 80 (tween 80) would make the solution more stable of less stable and also to establish the optimum surfactant blend gathered by the HLB value to prepare the emulsion.
Method
Every student was given a unique target HLB value between 5 and 13. From this we had to establish what amounts (in g) of Span 80 and Tween 80 were required to produce the required HLB.
The target HLB value we were given was 13
Therefore:
Fsp = ((target HLB value)-15)/-10.7 = (13-15)/10.7