Propranolol Blog Post 9
Samyu Y -
This week, I was finally able to get back into the lab and run some more NMR samples. I had previously run DMSO and D2O in the NMR machine with Propranolol mixed in it and from a simple visual examination – the Propranolol dissolved well into them. I next tried Glycerol, under the impression that its more polar nature would help to dissolve the Propranolol and it has many applications in food products but to my surprise the Propranolol did not dissolve at all in the Glycerol. In addition, the high viscosity, or thickness of the Glycerol, made placing the solution into the small test tubes required for the NMR machine very hard and especially difficult to mix with the Propranolol which could be a reason why the drug did not dissolve. I did put the samples into the NMR machine but honestly, I do not expect the results to show much signs of dissolution. This trial does help to refine or add a condition to my criteria, namely that the solvent must not be so thick that it is unable to mix well with the solute and additionally such a thick liquid could pose problems to elderly users of the drug who might have problems with swallowing a liquid of such a consistency. The second solvent that I plan to use is very familiar to the average person. Its name is ethanol, the substance that makes alcoholic beverages well alcoholic. Obviously there are some legal constraints but ethanol has been used in some medicines successfully. Next week I plan to run it in the NMR machine to wrap up my experiment.