The short version of Sublimation fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
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The low pressure used during drying allows water vapor to move from the ice surface to a cold condenser. Energy supplied as heat drives sublimation but must stay below the collapse temperature of the frozen matrix. If the product becomes too warm, the frozen structure may soften or melt, reducing pore formation and slowing drying. Formulations often include bulking agents, stabilizers, or buffers to support a rigid cake. The final moisture content depends on formulation, freezing rate, and the length of secondary drying.
Freeze-drying is distinct from simple evaporation and from spray drying. Evaporation removes water at temperatures above freezing, while spray drying rapidly dries droplets in a heated gas stream. Lyophilization avoids high temperatures, which can be useful for heat-sensitive materials such as proteins, vaccines, and some foods. The porous cake produced by sublimation dissolves or rehydrates more quickly than a dense dried mass. Not all materials tolerate freezing or the pH shifts that can occur as solutes concentrate during ice formation.
A formulation often contains excipients that protect the active ingredient during freezing and drying. Bulking agents provide structure, while lyoprotectants stabilize sensitive molecules. The freezing step can produce ice crystals whose size and distribution affect the drying rate, and cycle design includes freezing, annealing, and drying phases. If the product temperature rises above a critical value, the cake may collapse or lose its porous structure. Successful lyophilization therefore depends on the interaction between formulation, equipment, and cycle design.
Lyophilization is a dehydration process that removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under low pressure. The material is first frozen to convert liquid water into ice. Next, the pressure is reduced below the triple point of water so that ice changes directly into vapor without passing through a liquid phase. This step is called primary drying. The result is a porous solid or cake that retains the original shape of the frozen solution.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary phase change | Sublimation | Ice changes directly to vapor under reduced pressure |
| Typical chamber pressure | 0.01–0.5 mbar (1–50 Pa) | Below the triple point of water; product-specific |
| Typical product temperature during primary drying | −40 °C to −10 °C | Kept below collapse temperature |
| Typical residual moisture | 0.5–3% w/w | Target range varies by formulation and use |
| Common synonyms | Freeze-drying; lyophilisation | Lyophilization is the US spelling |
The process generally proceeds in three stages: freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying. During freezing, controlled cooling converts water into ice and may also crystallize or vitrify solutes. In primary drying, the pressure is lowered below the triple point, and heat is supplied so ice sublimes directly to vapor. Secondary drying removes water that remains bound to the solid matrix, yielding a low final water content. Product temperature must stay below the collapse or glass transition temperature to maintain structure. Cycle design therefore balances shelf temperature, chamber pressure, and time.
Freeze-drying is used for materials whose activity or structure depends on low temperature and low water content. Examples include certain biologics, diagnostic reagents, starter cultures, coffee, and porous inorganic precursors. The dried product forms a cake whose porosity aids rapid wetting and dissolution. Main drawbacks are high energy use, long cycle times, and sensitivity to formulation and equipment variation. Questions remain about how freezing rates and ice morphology affect batch uniformity, especially when moving from laboratory to production scale.
Lyophilization is a dehydration process that removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under low pressure. The material is first frozen so that water becomes ice; then the surrounding pressure is lowered below the vapor pressure of ice. Heat is applied gently so ice changes directly to vapor without passing through a bulk liquid phase. The vapor is collected on a cold condenser, leaving a dry porous matrix. This process differs from simple evaporation because the material remains frozen during the main drying stage.
The process usually has three stages: freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying. Freezing sets the ice crystal structure and can determine pore size in the final cake. Primary drying removes free ice by sublimation at low pressure and low shelf temperature. Secondary drying removes bound water by raising the shelf temperature, although some water may remain as part of the solid. Cycle parameters depend on formulation, fill volume, vial type, and equipment performance.
Lyophilization is a dehydration technique in which a product is frozen and the solvent is removed under reduced pressure. The low pressure allows ice to sublimate directly into vapor without passing through a bulk liquid phase. This differs from conventional drying, where heat drives evaporation and can damage heat-sensitive structures. The process is used for biological materials, pharmaceutical formulations, and some foods. Its main advantage is preservation of porous structure and rapid reconstitution.
Freezing is the first stage and sets the ice structure that later becomes the pore network. The formulation is cooled below its freezing point, often with a controlled ramp, and solutes concentrate as ice forms. Primary drying then lowers chamber pressure and supplies heat to sublime the ice. The product temperature must stay below its collapse or eutectic temperature to prevent structural loss. Secondary drying raises the temperature modestly to remove bound water and achieve a low residual moisture.
A freeze-dryer consists of a vacuum chamber, temperature-controlled shelves, a condenser, and a vacuum pump. Vials, ampoules, or bulk trays hold the product during the cycle. The condenser traps water vapor as ice at a temperature lower than the product. Cycle development balances shelf temperature, chamber pressure, and time. Scale-up can be difficult because heat and mass transfer change with equipment size, so process analytical tools and conservative validation are often used.
Rosett (1953), dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and chairman of National Bureau of Economic Research Robert L. Friedheim (1955), former director of the USC School of International Relations Calvin B. T. Lee (1955), former chancellor of University of Maryland, Baltimore County and acting president of Boston University Robert E. Paaswell (1956), civil engineer, former interim president of City College of New York and CEO of Chicago Transit Authority Kenneth Gros Louis (1959), chancellor of Indiana University system Richard A. Merrill (1959), 7th dean of the University of Virginia School of Law Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1959), president of the University of Hartford and of George Washington University David C. Levy (1960), dean of the Parsons School of Design and president of the Corcoran Gallery of Art Steven M. Cahn (1966), provost and acting president of Graduate Center of the City University of New York Dimitri B. Papadimitriou (1970), executive vice president and provost of Bard College David Rubin (1970), professor of communications and dean of S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Alan Cooper (1971), provost of Jewish Theological Seminary of America, former member of Sha Na Na William Germano (1972), dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences at Cooper Union, former editor-in-chief of Columbia University Press Saul Levmore (1973), commercial law scholar, former dean of the University of Chicago Law School Ronald Mason Jr.
(5.2.1) A sponsor may transfer any or all of the sponsor's trial-related duties and functions to a CRO, but the ultimate responsibility for the quality and integrity of the trial data always resides with the sponsor. The CRO should implement quality assurance and quality control. (5.2.2) Any trial-related duty and function that is transferred to and assumed by a CRO should be specified in writing. The sponsor should ensure oversight of any trial-related duties and functions carried out on its behalf, including trial-related duties and functions that are subcontracted to another party by the sponsor's contracted CRO(s). (5.2.3) Any trial-related duties and functions not specifically transferred to and assumed by a CRO are retained by the sponsor. (5.2.4) All references to a sponsor in this guideline also apply to a CRO to the extent that a CRO has assumed the trial-related duties and functions of a sponsor. Guidance from the US FDA published in 2013 also speaks to the responsibility of the sponsor to oversee work of the CRO, including the circumstance where risk-based monitoring has been delegated to the CRO. 2021 saw a major update to US FDA regulations related to providing the agency with information about CROs and how they "comply with FDA regulations".
Glycobiology is the study of the structure and function of carbohydrates. While DNA, RNA, and proteins are encoded at the genetic level, carbohydrates are not encoded directly from the genome, and thus require different tools for their study. By applying chemical principles to glycobiology, novel methods for analyzing and synthesizing carbohydrates can be developed. For example, cells can be supplied with synthetic variants of natural sugars to probe their function. Carolyn Bertozzi's research group has developed methods for site-specifically reacting molecules at the surface of cells via synthetic sugars.
Ever since the first discovery of Tyrannosaurus most scientists have agreed that it was an active predator, though like modern large predators it would readily scavenge or steal another predator's kill if it had the opportunity. Paleontologist Jack Horner has been a major proponent of the view that Tyrannosaurus was not a predator at all but instead was an obligate scavenger. He has put forward arguments in the popular literature to support the pure scavenger hypothesis:
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London. Monteiro A. (ed.) (2007). The Cone Collector 1: 1-28. Nelson, Laura (24 June 2004). "One slip, and you're dead..." Nature. 429 (6994): 798–799. doi:10.1038/429798a. Peters H, O'Leary BC, Hawkins JP, Carpenter KE, Roberts CM (2013). "Conus: first comprehensive conservation red list assessment of a marine gastropod mollusc genus". PLOS ONE. 8 (12) e83353. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...883353P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083353. PMC 3871662. PMID 24376693. Petuch EJ (1986). "New South American gastropods in the genera Conus (Conidae) and Latirus (Fasciolariidae)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 99: 8–14. Petuch, E. J. 1987. New Caribbean molluscan faunas. [v] + 154 + A1-A4, 29 pls. Coastal Education & Research Foundation: Charlottesville, Virginia Petuch, E. J. 1988. Neogene history of tropical American mollusks. [vi] + 217, 39 pls. Coastal Education & Research Foundation: Charlottesville, Virginia Petuch EJ (1990). "A new molluscan faunule from the Caribbean coast of Panama". Nautilus. 104: 57–70. Petuch EJ (1992). "Molluscan discoveries from the tropical Western Atlantic region. Part II. New species of Conus from the Bahamas Platform, Central American and northern South American coasts, and the Lesser Antilles". La Conchiglia. 24 (265): 10–15. Petuch EJ (2000). "A review of the conid subgenus Purpuriconus da Motta, 1991, with the descriptions of two new Bahamian species". Ruthenica: Russian Malacological Journal. 10: 81–87. Petuch EJ (2004). Cenozoic Seas. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Ulcerative colitis === Infliximab targets TNF, thought to be more related to Th1 cytokines. Ulcerative colitis was thought to be a Th2 disease, and infliximab would be of limited use. However, patients with ulcerative colitis have begun to be treated with infliximab on the basis of two large clinical trials conducted in 2005 by Paul Rutgeerts and William Sandborn. The Acute ulcerative Colitis Treatment trials (ACT1 and ACT2) to evaluate the utility of infliximab in ulcerative colitis showed 44–45% of patients treated with infliximab for a year maintained a response to the medication, compared with 21% of patients who were treated with placebo medication. At two months, the response was 61–69% for patients treated with infliximab, and 31% for those treated with placebo.
Au-catalyzed Cys alkylation Cysteine-containing peptides have been shown to undergo 1,2-addition to allenes in the presence of gold(I) and/or silver(I) salts, producing hydroxyl substituted vinyl thioethers. The reaction with peptides proceeds with high yields and is selective for cysteines over other nucleophilic residues. However, the reactivity towards proteins is much decreased, potentially due to the coordination of gold to the protein backbone.
However, Jeremy Seekings, a historian of the UDF, has argued that the front lacked a significant presence in black townships in 1984: at that point, the UDF remained primarily a campaign-based organisation, focused on protesting the Tricameral Parliament and therefore focused on the Coloured and Indian communities who were invited to participate in the parliament. It was only indirectly involved in organising the November 1984 stay-away, and the areas in which UDF organisation was strongest were by no means those which participated most enthusiastically in the uprising. Indeed, Seekings argues that there was little evidence of any organised co-ordination of local protests, even by the local civic associations who were UDF affiliates. He quotes UDF general secretary Popo Molefe's assessment of the 1983 boycotts – that "organisations trail behind the masses" – as applying more broadly to political organisation in PWV's black townships during the mid-1980s.
The following is a timeline of the second presidency of Donald Trump during the fourth and last quarter of 2025, from October 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025. To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidencies.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Lyophilization relies on sublimation, so water moves from solid ice to vapor without becoming liquid. The material is frozen, pressure is reduced, and controlled heat is supplied. Vapor is captured on a cold condenser, leaving a dry porous solid.
The process has three main stages: freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying. Freezing sets the ice structure, primary drying removes free ice, and secondary drying removes bound water. Each stage uses specific temperature, pressure, and time settings.
No, it is a drying method rather than a sterilization method. Removing water can limit microbial growth, but it does not reliably kill microorganisms. Sterility must come from separate steps such as filtration, heat treatment, or aseptic processing.
Lyophilization removes water by sublimation from a frozen material, while evaporation changes liquid water into vapor. The low-pressure freezing step avoids the liquid phase and can preserve heat-sensitive structures.