With its content stemming from tried and tested course notes, this book draws on the expertise from authors based at leading pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer, AstraZeneca and Novartis, as well as leading academic institutions. As such, it represents the perfect blend of theoretical background and application-oriented discussions, including the latest research developments and industrial examples.
In the first section, the basic mechanisms are introduced, ensuring an understanding of supersaturation. In addition, the solubility of the substance and its dependences on process conditions and the various techniques of crystallization and their possibilities and limitations are discussed. The second part builds on the basics, exploring how crystallization processes can be developed, either batch-wise or continuous, from solution or from the melt. The two sections are bridged by a discussion of the purification during crystallization, where practical aspects and an insight using theoretical concepts are combined. The third part of the book is dedicated to accounts of actual developments and successful crystallizations, outlining typical pitfalls and strategies to avoid them, as well as to the design of robust processes.