What is meant by pharmaceutical emulsion?

What is meant by pharmaceutical emulsion?

Pharmaceutical emulsions are liquid disperse systems in which the dispersed phase is composed of small globules of a liquid distributed throughout a vehicle in which it is immiscible. Topical creams and lotions are popular forms of emulsions for external use.

What are the types of emulsion in pharmacy?

There are two basic types of emulsions, that is, oil in water (O/W) and water in oil (W/O). In addition to these two types, a relatively complex emulsion, called multiple emulsions can also be formulated.

What is an example of a emulsion?

A classic example of an emulsion is oil and water when mixed slowly under vigorous stirring. However, when the agitation is stopped, the two liquids separate and the emulsion breaks down. This is an example of an unstable emulsion. Stable emulsions can be formed from two immiscible liquids when an emulsifier is used.

Why are emulsions used in pharmaceuticals?

Emulsions are commonly used in many major chemical industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, they are used to make medicines more palatable, to improve effectiveness by controlling dosage of active ingredients, and to provide improved aesthetics for topical drugs such as ointments.

What are advantages of emulsion?

The advantages of emulsion polymerization are that its use permits a rapid polymerization to a high molecular weight with narrow molecule weight distribution, the viscosity is typically lower than other methods, heat is relatively easy to remove from the reactor with water as the continuous phase and suitable for the …

What is an emulsion?

emulsion, in physical chemistry, mixture of two or more liquids in which one is present as droplets, of microscopic or ultramicroscopic size, distributed throughout the other. Unstable emulsions eventually separate into two liquid layers.

What are the four types of emulsions?

Types of emulsions

• Oil-in-water emulsion. When the oil phase is dispersed as globules throughout an aqueous con-tinuous phase, the system is referred to as an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion.
• Water-in-oil emulsion.
• Multiple emulsions.
• Microemulsions.

What is the advantage of emulsion?

Why is emulsion important?

Emulsions are useful because they allow ways to deliver active materials in water which is inexpensive and innocuous. A related advantage of emulsions is they allow dilution of these active ingredients to an optimal concentration .

What does emulsion mean?

Definition of emulsion. 1a : a system (such as fat in milk) consisting of a liquid dispersed with or without an emulsifier in an immiscible liquid usually in droplets of larger than colloidal size. b : the state of such a system.

What does emulsify mean?

Medical Definition of emulsify. : to disperse (as an oil) in an emulsion also : to convert (two or more immiscible liquids) into an emulsion.

What is emulsion in chemistry?

Emulsion, in physical chemistry, mixture of two or more liquids in which one is present as droplets, of microscopic or ultramicroscopic size, distributed throughout the other. Emulsions are formed from the component liquids either spontaneously or, more often, by mechanical means, such as agitation,…