APPLICATION OF SPECIFIC ROTATION IN PHARMACY
Research applications:
1. Specific rotation can be used to evaluate and characterize optically active compounds.
2. It is used to investigate kinetic reactions by measuring optical rotation as a function of time.
3. It can be used to monitor changes in concentration of an optically active component in a reaction mixture as in enzymatic cleavage.
4. It can analyze molecular structure by plotting optical rotator dispersion curves over wide range of wavelengths.
5. It can be used to distinguish between optical isomers.
Quality and process control applications:
Specific rotation in quality and process control both in laboratory or on-line in the factory for the compound like pharmaceuticals, essential oils, flavors, food and chemicals. Few examples are listed below:
Pharmaceuticals: Amino acid, antibiotics, dextrose, steroids, amino sugars, cocaine, diuretics, tranquilizers, analgesics, codeine, serums, vitamins etc.
Flavors and essential oils: orange oil, lavender oil, spearmint oil, lemon oil, camphor, citric acid etc.
Food products: carbohydrates, lactose, raffinose, fructose, levulose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, xylose, natural monosaccharides etc.
Chemicals: Biopolymers, Natural polymers, synthetic polymers etc.