Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Quality Control in Pharmaceuticals Industry

A description of the basic principal and experimental approach of the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a fast emerging optical diagnostic tool, is followed by the evaluations of this technique for the quality control in pharmaceutical industry. Four popular antacid products available in tablet form have been investigated for quantitative analysis of the active/inactive ingredients as well as for impurities. The calibration curves prepared show a good linearity. Elements not listed in the product labels have been identified and quantified. Also potential of LIBS to monitor intrabatch uniformity has been investigated.