This is a working overview of Sublimation, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
Reviewed 2025-11-10. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
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.
After primary drying, secondary drying removes water that remains bound to the material. This stage raises the shelf temperature while maintaining low pressure, which encourages desorption of unfrozen water. Residual moisture can be reduced to a low percentage, improving stability for many products. The process parameters, including freezing rate, shelf temperature, and chamber pressure, influence the final pore structure and reconstitution behavior. Control of these variables helps prevent collapse or meltback during drying.
Secondary drying removes bound water that remains after ice sublimation. Shelf temperature is raised gradually while pressure remains low, reducing water content to a target range. Over-drying can cause brittleness or electrostatic issues, while under-drying affects stability. The endpoint is often judged by pressure rise tests, temperature measurements, or water content analysis. Scale-up depends on matching heat and mass transfer across equipment sizes. Small changes in shelf temperature or pressure can alter cycle length substantially.
Lyophilization, or freeze-drying, removes water from a material by freezing it and then lowering pressure so ice changes directly to vapor. The process relies on sublimation, the phase transition from solid to gas without an intervening liquid state. It is used for heat-sensitive materials that would degrade in conventional drying. The three stages are freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying, each with distinct temperature and pressure requirements. In practice, cycle design balances these variables.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common synonyms | Freeze-drying, lyophilisation | Lyophilization is the American spelling; lyophilisation is British |
| Primary drying mechanism | Sublimation of ice | Occurs under vacuum below the triple point |
| Typical chamber pressure | 0.05-0.5 mbar | Range depends on product and equipment |
| Typical shelf temperature during freezing | -40 to -20 °C | Lower temperatures may be used for labile products |
| Resulting product form | Porous cake or powder | Appearance depends on formulation and cycle |
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, also called freeze-drying, is a dehydration process in which a solvent, usually water, is frozen and then removed by sublimation under reduced pressure. The method preserves heat-sensitive materials that would degrade in conventional drying. Large-scale use grew during the mid-twentieth century for blood plasma and antibiotics, and it later expanded to vaccines, enzymes, foods, and advanced materials. The process produces a dry, porous solid that usually reconstitutes rapidly. It is distinct from simple evaporation because the solvent bypasses the liquid phase during primary removal.
Lyophilization, also called freeze-drying, removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under reduced pressure. The process begins with freezing, which converts free water into ice and may also produce a glassy phase. Primary drying then lowers chamber pressure so ice sublimes directly to vapor without passing through a liquid stage. Secondary drying raises the temperature modestly to remove bound water. The result is a porous, dry solid that usually reconstitutes quickly. Each stage influences pore structure, residual moisture, and stability.
The physics of lyophilization depends on phase boundaries and heat and mass transfer. During primary drying, heat supplied to the product must equal the latent heat of sublimation, while water vapor moves through the drying cake to the condenser. If shelf temperature or pressure is set too high, the ice front can exceed the collapse temperature, causing meltback or pore collapse. If conditions are too cold, drying slows and costs rise. Formulation excipients, vial geometry, and freezing rate alter these limits.
which means that the divergence of the velocity field is zero everywhere. Physically, this is equivalent to saying that the local volume dilation rate is zero, hence a flow of water through a converging pipe will adjust solely by increasing its velocity as water is largely incompressible.
Essendon Hall of Fame Legends (year inducted): Bill Brew (2013), Bill Busbridge (1996), Jack Clarke (1996), John Coleman (1996), Bill Cookson (1996), Wally Crichton (2010), Terry Daniher (1996), Barry Davis (2006), Ron Evans (2012), Tom Fitzmaurice (1996), Ken Fraser (1996), Allan Hird Sr (1996), James Hird (2011), Harry Hunter (2015), Bill Hutchison (1996), Matthew Lloyd (2013), Simon Madden (1996), Alex McCracken (1996), Michael Long (2010), Howard Okey (2012), Frank Reid (1996), Dick Reynolds (1996), Greg Sewell (2009), Kevin Sheedy (2008), Albert Thurgood (1996), Tim Watson (1998), Neale Daniher* (2018), Dustin Fletcher*, Dr Bruce Reid* (2014), Gavin Wanganeen* *denotes recent elevation to Legend status Essendon Hall of Fame members (year inducted): Noel Allanson (2015), Fred Baring (2013), John Birt (2010), Reg Burgess (2015), Wally Buttsworth (2010), Barry Capuano (2014), Kevin Egan (2015), Alec Epis (2014), Ken Fletcher (2011), Keith Forbes (2010), Garry Foulds (2010), Darryl Gerlach (2013), Mark Harvey (2014), Bruce Heymanson (2013), Jack Jones (2012), Ron Kirwan (2016), Harold Lambert (2018), Scott Lucas (2013), Roy McConnell (2013), Don McKenzie (2010), Roger Merrett (2018), Joe Misiti (2012), Hugh Mitchell (2012), Graham Moss (2012), Gary O'Donnell (2014), Dr Ian Reynolds (2018), Paul Salmon (2012), David Shaw (2011), Arthur Showers (2010), George Stuckey (2010), Hugh Torney (2011), Paul Vander Haar (2015)
Rather, in the 10 years from 1980 to 1990, it grew 10-fold." According to a report commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance, and released in March 2006 by the Justice Policy Institute, harsher sentences for drug offenses committed in drug-free school zones are ineffective at keeping youths away from drugs and instead create strong racial disparities in the judicial system. According to data collected by the Federal Bureau of Prisons 45.3% of all criminal charges were drug related and 25.5% of sentences for all charges last 5–10 years. Furthermore, non-whites make up 41.4% of the federal prison system's population and over half are under the age of 40. The Bureau of Justice Statistics states that over 80% of all drug related charges are for mere possession rather than the sale or manufacture of drugs.
==== Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry ==== This is a frequently used technique in nuclear forensics. In this technique a purified sample is nebulized in a spray chamber and then aspirated into a plasma. The high temperature of the plasma leads to sample dissociation and high efficiency of ionization of the analyte. The ions then enter the mass spectrometer where they are discriminated based on mass based on a double focusing system. Ions of various masses are detected simultaneously by a bank of detectors similar to those used in the thermal ionization mass spec. MC-ICP-MS has a more rapid analysis because it does not require lengthy filament preparation. For high quality, however, there is a requirement for extensive sample cleanup. Argon plasma is also less stable and requires relatively expensive equipment as well as skilled operators.
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in practice it is extended to cover any aquatic organisms harvested for commercial purposes, whether caught in wild fisheries or harvested from aquaculture or fish farming. Larger fish processing companies often operate their own fishing fleets or farming operations. The products of the fish industry are usually sold to grocery chains or to intermediaries. Fish are highly perishable. A central concern of fish processing is to prevent fish from deteriorating, and this remains an underlying concern during other processing operations. Fish processing can be subdivided into fish handling, which is the preliminary processing of raw fish, and the manufacture of fish products. Another natural subdivision is into primary processing involved in the filleting and freezing of fresh fish for onward distribution to fresh fish retail and catering outlets, and the secondary processing that produces chilled, frozen and canned products for the retail and catering trades. There is evidence humans have been processing fish since the early Holocene. These days, fish processing is undertaken by artisan fishermen, on board fishing or fish processing vessels, and at fish processing plants.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Career == King joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959 as an assistant professor of chemical engineering to become director of the School of Chemical Engineering Practice station at the Exxon (then Esso) Bayway refinery in New Jersey. In 1963, King joined University of California, Berkeley as assistant professor of chemical engineering, becoming associate professor in 1966 and full professor in 1969. From 1967 to 1972, he served as the vice chairman of Department of Chemical Engineering. He then served as the chairman of the department from 1972 to 1981. In 1981, King was appointed as the dean of College of Chemistry and later in 1987 as the provost of the Professional Schools and Colleges, a position in which he served until 1994. At the time of his appointment, King was the first chemical engineer to become dean of the College of Chemistry at Berkeley. King was appointed the vice provost for research for the entire nine-campus University of California in 1994. In 1995 he became provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, again university-wide. During his time as UC provost, King helped launch the new, tenth UC campus at Merced, the California Digital Library, and eScholarship, the University of California's open access, electronic repository for publications by UC authors. He returned to UC Berkeley in 2004 as the director of Center for Studies in Higher Education, serving in this position for a full decade until 2014.
Certain jurisdictions gear their immigration policies toward creating a hostile environment for undocumented migrants to deter migration by creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for potential and existing immigrants. Notably, the British Home Office adopted a set of administrative and legislative measures designed to make staying in the United Kingdom as difficult as possible for people without leave to remain, in the hope that they may "voluntarily leave". The Home Office policy was first announced in 2012 under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. The policy was implemented pursuant to the 2010 Conservative Party Election Manifesto. The policy has been criticized for being unclear, has led to many incorrect threats of deportation and has been called "Byzantine" by the England and Wales Court of Appeal for its complexity. Similarly, anti-immigration movements in America have advocated for policies aimed at creating a hostile environment for intended and existing immigrants at various points in history. Historical examples include the nativist Know Nothing movement of the mid-19th century, which advocated hostile policies against Catholic immigrants; the Workingman's Party, which promoted xenophobic attitudes toward Asians in California during the late-19th century, a sentiment that ultimately led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882; the Immigration Restriction League, which advocated xenophobic policies against southern and eastern Europe during the late-19th and early 20th centuries, and the joint congressional Dillingham Commission.
==== Asbestos fibers ==== Many common building materials (especially those manufactured in the United States before 1976) contain asbestos, such as some floor tiles, ceiling tiles, shingles, fireproofing, heating systems, pipe wrap, taping muds, mastics, and other insulation materials. Normally, significant releases of asbestos fiber do not occur unless the building materials are disturbed, such as by cutting, sanding, drilling, or building remodeling. Removal of asbestos-containing materials is not always optimal because the fibers can be spread into the air during the removal process. A management program for intact asbestos-containing materials is often recommended instead. When asbestos-containing material is damaged or disintegrates, microscopic fibers are dispersed into the air. Inhalation of asbestos fibers over long exposure times is associated with increased incidence of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is significantly greater for smokers. The symptoms of disease do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos. Although all asbestos is hazardous, products that are friable, e.g. sprayed coatings and insulation, pose a significantly higher hazard as they are more likely to release fibers to the air.
The formula (6) and (7) give a direct relation between the secular frequency and the digital drive waveform parameters (frequency and amplitude), without using the iterative process that is needed for a sinusoidal driven quadrupole ion trap. Normally the depth of the 'effective potential' well, or the pseudopotential well, is used to estimate the maximum kinetic energy of ions that remain trapped. For DIT, this was also derived using Dehmelt approximation:
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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.
Vacuum lowers the pressure below the triple point of water, allowing ice to sublimate directly into vapor. It also helps remove water vapor from the product chamber and shortens primary drying.
Many aqueous solutions and suspensions can be freeze-dried, but some formulations collapse or do not form a stable cake. The process requires careful formulation and cycle development.
Conventional drying uses heat to evaporate liquid water, often at temperatures that can degrade sensitive materials. Lyophilization freezes the material first and then removes water by sublimation under vacuum. This avoids prolonged exposure to liquid water and high heat.