THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING

Course objectives

The course of analysis of the active principles of medicinal and aromatic plants is placed in the third year of the degree course in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences(curriculum Herbal Sciences ). This course is among those characterizing for the herbalist profession. The course takes place through both lectures and individual lessons in the laboratory. In the lectures all the analytical techniques necessary for identifying the quali/quantitative active compounds in the medicinal plants are addressed. In the laboratory some techniques are discussed. At the end of the course the student will have acquired the knowledge of the most common analytical methods and will be able to decide the most suitable methodology according to the sample to be analyzed. They will also be able to critically evaluate the analytical results obtained.

Channel 1
MICHELA PUXEDDU Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Course Objectives The course aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge of the main techniques used for the recognition and characterization of biologically active substances of pharmaceutical interest. To this end, the course includes theoretical lectures and individual laboratory exercises. Course Content • Pharmacopoeia: Italian Official Pharmacopoeia and European Pharmacopoeia. • Physical state and intermolecular forces. • Solubility and acid-base properties. Volumetric analysis: determination of olive oil acidity; determination of citric acid content in lemon juice; determination of acetylsalicylic acid content in tablets according to the Pharmacopoeia. • Physical constants – Melting point. Determination of melting point using the capillary method, open capillary method, instantaneous melting method, and Kofler method. Determination of melting point in mixtures. • Density. Definition of absolute and relative density. Determination using a pycnometer and densimeter. • Refractometry. General principles and measurement with the Abbe refractometer. • Polarimetry. General principles. Chiral and achiral molecules, assignment of stereogenic carbon configuration. Chemical properties of enantiomers and physical properties of stereoisomers. Optical activity, polarized light, basic polarimeter design, and optical purity. • Preliminary examination of substances. Physical state, color, odor, and taste. • Behavior under calcination. Identification of inorganic, organic, and organometallic substances. • Identification of inorganic substances. Cation identification (dry and wet methods) and anion identification (wet method). • Qualitative elemental analysis. Lassaigne’s test. • General tests. Detection of aromatic character and unsaturation. • Recognition of functional groups. • Primary and secondary metabolites. Phytochemical screening. • Chromatography. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC). • Overview of instrumental methods. IR spectroscopy, HPLC, NMR. • Laboratory safety.
Books
Savelli, F.; Bruno, O. Pharmaceutical chemical analysis. 2005. Piccin (ing) Carta, A.; Mamolo, M. G.; Novelli, F.; Piras, S. qualitative pharmaceutical analysis. 9th edition, 2016. Edises (ing)
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseApplied Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • CurriculumSCIENZE ERBORISTICHE
  • Year3rd year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDCHIM/08
  • CFU6