July 2, 2010
School of Pharmacy, Kochi
A new text book titled Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry authored by S. Sathianarayanan of the Amrita School of Pharmacy was published last month.
“The book mainly focuses on the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students,” stated the author. “It explains the science and application of modern and traditional techniques for the analysis of pharmaceutical products.”
Divided into three sections viz. Volumetric Analysis, Gravimetric Analysis and Instrumental Analysis, the book has 236 pages.
The first section – Volumetric Analysis – explains different types of titration methods with suitable examples, the preparation and standardisation of volumetric solutions and preparation of indicators.
The second section – Gravimetric Analysis – provides information on methods for measurement of mass with suitable examples. The third section – Instrumental Analysis – focuses on the basic principles of instrumentation and provides pharmaceutical applications.
All sections include an explanation of the basic principles underlying the method, to promote better understanding among students. Examples are drawn from pharmaceutical substances listed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia or the British Pharmacopoeia.
“We hope this book will provide information for beginners and also will be useful for students of other disciplines such as science, measurement and analysis and quality control,” stated the author.
“It is also meant to help those working with drug design and development. Regulatory data is provided to ensure product integrity.”
As faculty in the Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Sathianarayanan has a degree in M. Pharm. (Analytical Chemistry). He experienced students facing problems as there was no single text covering all topics prescribed in the syllabus.
This was what primarily motivated him to write the book. “I wanted to help students learn things in a better and simpler mode,” he said. “They didn’t need to refer to many different books to acquire the needed theoretical and practical knowledge.”
“I owe my sincere thanks to Dr. K. G. Revikumar, Principal, School of Pharmacy, who guided me throughout the work.”
The book is published by Birla Publications and retails in India at a price of Rs. 200.
