Antisolvent crystallization of carbamazepine from organic solutions

Carbamazepine was crystallized from organic solutions using an antisolvent crystallization technique. Ethanol was used as a solvent for the carbamazepine and distilled water was used as an antisolvent. The carbamazepine was dissolved in the solvent, and the drug solution was injected into the antisolvent causing the particle precipitation. During the crystallization experiments, the effects of the process parameters such as solution concentration, temperature, injection rate of the solution, and the presence of ultrasound, were investigated. An analysis of the produced particles showed that external characteristics such as particle size and its distribution were a strong function of the process parameters, while the internal structures such as crystallinity and thermal stability were nearly unaffected. Smaller particles were obtained when solutions with high drug concentrations were used. Higher temperature resulted in larger crystals. Particle size was also influenced by the injection rate of the drug solutions. Carbamazepine particle size was significantly reduced when the ultrasonic wave was selectively applied.