Pharmaceutical Analysis I with Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis I and Food Chemistry

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge of the main analytical methods and instrumental techniques that are used for the quantitative analysis of drugs both as active substances and in the final medicinal products. In the course we will deepen the theoretical principles that characterize the different methods and mechanisms underlying the functioning of the instruments. Examples of drug dosage applications will be analyzed for a concrete and current understanding of the methods used, and more generally, for a critical examination of the aspects and problems that must be evaluated for the development and validation of an analytical method. In particular, the course aims not only to transfer to the student the knowledge required to understand the analytical methods and their applications for drug analysis according to the current pharmacopoeia, but also to provide useful tools to develop quantitative analytical methods based on the structure of the analytes, the matrix and the required sensitivity. In addition, the course will provide basic notions regarding the composition of foods, emphasizing the characteristics of the main components. In order to make the knowledges provided by the course comprehensible and immediately verifiable, analytical procedures for drug quantitative determination will be applied during practical laboratory exercises, which will allow a concrete understanding of different techniques and the functioning of the analytical instruments.

At the end of the course the students will have to know the main analytical methods for drugs quantification, their theoretical bases and which classes of drugs they are used for. The students will need to know instrumental dosing techniques, the principles underlying their operation and their applications. Students will have to demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms, problems and assessments that underlie the choice of the analytical method for the quantitative determination of a drug. During the lectures it will be offered the possibility to apply knowledge and understanding through the proposal of problems that will be solved in the classroom with the involvement of the students. Furthermore, at the end of the course, students will know the composition of different foods, also considering the possible transformations induced by technological treatments and conservation. They will also know some issues related to quality and safety, in particular in relation to the possible presence of contaminants, possible alterations, the main adulterations and the correct use of food additives. The student will have to demonstrate the ability to use the acquired knowledge to develop an analytical method for the quantification of a drug based on the structure and matrix. During laboratory exercises, the student will have to analyze a drug by applying the proposed analytical method and evaluate the results obtained.