Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.44, No.3, 559-564, 2021
Evaluation of Supercritical Technology for the Preparation of Nanomedicine: Etoricoxib Analysis
The solubility of etoricoxib in supercritical CO2 was measured using a gravimetric method in a wide range of pressures and temperatures. A pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) cell was designed and used. Different solubility values were obtained between 2.34 x 10(-5) and 7.96 x 10(-4) mol mol(-1), depending on the applied pressure and temperature. Analyzing the solubility curves revealed that the pressure had a direct effect on the solubility of etoricoxib at all temperatures, while the effect of the temperature was dependent on the crossover point in the solubility curve. Indeed, before reaching the crossover point, the solubility decreased with increasing temperature, and after the crossover point, a direct relationship was observed between the solubility and the temperature. As such, the lowest solubility was obtained at 120 bar and 338 K.