Is FTIR suitable for testing steroids?

[master.on]

I believe FTIR
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy - Wikipedia
will work great for testing relatively pure raws
and just good enough for oils.

Testing is quick (1 minute), really easy and fairly accurate
the FTIR equipment ain't as expensive as HPLC or GC-MS, so many labs have one.

 

[master.on]

This study says that FTIR is at worst, only slightly less accurate than HPLC for testing Ibuprofen tablets content

and can be used to determine tab contents

http://www.scielo.org.ar/scielo.php?pid=S0327-07932005000300004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en (Quantitative analysis of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations through FTIR spectroscopy)

A good FTIR equipment costs "only" $30K new
but compare that to $300K for a good GC-MS
or $200K+ for HPLC.
So I think FTIR is suitable for gear testing. At worst you'll need a very pure steroid standard for calibration.

 

[mercury]

this is really great news I am getting one form ebay

but seriously because of different absorption / transmittance of various carriers it would never give you reliable results on spec. Just change a little BB or BA concentration and you get different results.

there is a reason HPLC is preferred method.

 

[master.on]

this is really great news I am getting one form ebay

but seriously because of different absorption / transmittance of various carriers it would never give you reliable results on spec. Just change a little BB or BA concentration and you get different results.

there is a reason HPLC is preferred method.

Is FTIR suitable for testing RAWS?

While no substitute for HPLC (and GC-MS for steroid identification)
it's a suitable substitute for no-testing
I mean, probably no source or UGL tests all their incoming raws,
but they could with FTIR which often needs no sample preparation (ATR) and gives results in a few seconds.

Probably no UGL would bother buying $10k-30k FTIR equipment
but finding a lab who owns one.

I believe a $20 charge per test is possible.

 

[mercury]

since raws are often cut with something you would never get reliable results.

FTIR are used for example by customs as a quick way to check for presence only. But then the sample is still sent to lab for more detailed analysis (HPLC)