If you have been reading about container closure and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Last reviewed on 2026-05-14. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
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.
Lyophilization removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under reduced pressure. The process begins with freezing, which converts liquid water into ice and fixes the structure of the sample. After freezing, primary drying lowers pressure so ice changes directly to vapor without passing through a liquid phase. Secondary drying then removes bound water that remains after ice sublimation. The result is a dry, porous solid that often retains its original shape.
Stability studies examine how temperature, humidity, and time influence a lyophilized product. Accelerated conditions provide early information about degradation pathways, while long-term studies support shelf-life claims. The glass transition temperature of the dried formulation can indicate its physical stability, and storage above this temperature may increase molecular mobility and lead to collapse or aggregation. Container closure integrity also matters because moisture or oxygen ingress can degrade the product, so vial stoppers and seals are part of the quality system.
Handling and storage practices aim to keep the cake intact and dry. Vials are typically stored upright at controlled temperatures, often between 2 °C and 8 °C or at -20 °C for longer-term use. Reconstitution involves adding a suitable diluent and gently mixing until the solid dissolves. Shaking or rapid injection of diluent can create foam or damage sensitive molecules. Once reconstituted, the product may require refrigeration and use within a defined period.
Residual moisture is a key quality attribute for lyophilized products. Water that remains after secondary drying can affect chemical stability, cake structure, and shelf life. Karl Fischer titration is a common method for measuring water content in the dried solid. The target range varies by product, but many biologics are dried to between 0.5% and 3% water by weight. Acceptable limits are set during development and confirmed by stability studies.
| 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 |
== Gene for protein L == The gene for protein L contains five components: a signal sequence of 18 amino acids; a NH2-terminal region ("A") of 79 residues; five homologous "B" repeats of 72-76 amino acids each; a COOH terminus region of two additional "C" repeats (52 amino acids each); a hydrophilic, proline-rich putative cell wall-spanning region ("W") after the C repeats; a hydrophobic membrane anchor ("M"). The B repeats (36kD) were found to be responsible for the interaction with Ig light chains.[2]
=== General spectroscopy === Redfield's interests included discovering techniques to advance the practice of NMR for the purpose of nuclear induction spectroscopy, super conducting magnets, current regulator for inductive loads, practical demonstration and proof of theory, nuclear spin thermodynamics, rare spins in solids, two-dimensional NMR efficiencies, computing and data processing, isotope labeling, nuclear Overhauser effect, proteins and their macromolecules in solution, phospholipid approaches. He devised a field cycling device to rapidly move a sample in and out of the field that became a precursor to modern fast field cycling instrumentation.
==== Other actions ==== Phenylpiracetam binds to α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the mouse brain cortex with an IC50Tooltip half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 5.86 μM. Racetams generally, but including phenylpiracetam, have been described as AMPA receptor potentiators.
Vasodilators—calcium channel blockers, such as the dihydropyridines nifedipine or amlodipine, preferably slow-release preparations—are often first-line treatment. They have the common side effects of headache, flushing, and ankle edema, but these are not typically of sufficient severity to require cessation of treatment. The limited evidence available shows that calcium-channel blockers are only slightly effective in reducing how often attacks happen, but some studies have found that CCBs may decrease the severity of attacks, pain, and disability associated with Raynaud's phenomenon. People whose disease is secondary to erythromelalgia often cannot use vasodilators for therapy, as they trigger "flares", causing the extremities to become burning red due to too much blood supply. People with severe disease prone to ulceration or large artery thrombotic events may be prescribed aspirin. Sympatholytic agents, such as the alpha-adrenergic blocker prazosin, may provide temporary relief to secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Angiotensin receptor blockers, such as Losartan, or ACE inhibitors may aid blood flow to the fingers, and there is some evidence that angiotensin receptor blockers (often losartan) reduce frequency and severity of attacks, and possibly better than nifedipine. The prostaglandin iloprost is used to manage critical ischemia and pulmonary hypertension in Raynaud's phenomenon, and the endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan is used to manage severe pulmonary hypertension and prevent finger ulcers in scleroderma.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
While both the CDET and the SDFT are positional tendons, enabling muscles to move the skeleton, the SDFT also stores energy and is far more elastic than the CDET due to "specialization of the [interfascicular matrix] to enable repeated interfascicular sliding and recoil." Desmosine concentrations were reported to be far greater in new tendons than in tendons that had partially degraded, suggesting that not only is there fragmentation of tendon elastin with age, but also a smaller total composition of elastin within the SDFT, though this was not true in the case of the CDET examined. Research has also been performed to determine the cross-linking structure of elastin, in an effort to better understand the relationship between elastin and pertinent diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and aortic aneurysms. A study was conducted to find this structure through synthesis of a cyclic peptide containing desmosine, to partially mimic elastin in the hopes of running mass spectrometry on the peptide to reveal the cross-linking structure. The elastin mimic was eventually synthesized successfully, and though work has not yet been done to clarify the cross-linking structure of elastin, preliminary mass spectrometry demonstrated the presence of the expected ion formed from the chemical reactions used.
This is useful in drug analysis where the pharmaceutical is a combination drug since the components would separate, or elute, at different times allowing for the verification of each component. The eluates from the HPLC column are then fed into various detectors that produce a peak on a graph relative to its concentration as it elutes off the column. The most common type of detector is an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer as the most common item of interest tested with HPLC, pharmaceuticals, have UV absorbance. Gas chromatography (GC) performs the same function as liquid chromatography, but it is used for volatile mixtures. In forensic chemistry, the most common GC instruments use mass spectrometry as their detector. GC-MS can be used in investigations of arson, poisoning, and explosions to determine exactly what was used. In theory, GC-MS instruments can detect substances whose concentrations are in the femtogram (10−15) range. However, in practice, due to signal-to-noise ratios and other limiting factors, such as the age of the individual parts of the instrument, the practical detection limit for GC-MS is in the picogram (10−12) range. GC-MS is also capable of quantifying the substances it detects; chemists can use this information to determine the effect the substance would have on an individual. GC-MS instruments need around 1,000 times more of the substance to quantify the amount than they need simply to detect it; the limit of quantification is typically in the nanogram (10−9) range.
Druze, like some Christians, believe that Elijah came back as John the Baptist, or as Saint George, since they belief in reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul, Druze believe that El Khidr and John the Baptist are one and the same. Saint George is described as a prophetic figure in Druze sources; and in some sources he is identified with Elijah or Mar Elias, and in others as al-Khidr. Druze believe that Elijah came back as John the Baptist and as Saint George, and the Druze version of the story of al-khidr was syncretized with the story of Saint George and the Dragon. The shrine of al-Khidr is located in the village of Kafr Yasif near the city of Acre on the Mediterranean coast. It is considered one of the most famous shrines in Druze religion. The prophet's name is "Sidna Abu Ibrahim" and he is nicknamed Nabi Al-Khidr (the Green One). Al-Khidr is identified with Elijah the prophet and, according to Druze belief, is one of the founders of their religion. The nickname El-Khidr (the Green One) comes from the belief that his memory will always be fresh like a green plant. Ziyarat al-Nabi al-Khidr is an Israeli Druze festival called Ziyara celebrated on 25 January which is officially recognized in Israel as a public holiday for Druzes, the celebration starts on 24 January and concludes on 25 January, with many religious leaders from all the religions in Israel, and also political leaders (occasionally also the PM), coming to congratulate the Israeli Druze community during their festivities at the Maqam Al-Khidr in Kafr Yasif.
The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, is a selectively permeable membrane as an outer boundary of the cell that encloses the cytoplasm. Underlying, and attached to the cell membrane is the cell cortex, the outermost part of the actin cytoskeleton. The membrane serves to separate and protect a cell from its surrounding environment and is made mostly from a lipid bilayer of phospholipids, which are amphiphilic (partly hydrophobic and partly hydrophilic). It has been best described in the fluid mosaic model. Embedded within the cell membrane are secretory macromolecular lipoprotein structures called porosomes; and a number of different channels and pumps involved in actively transporting molecules into and out of the cell. The membrane is semi-permeable, and selectively permeable, in that it can either let a substance (molecule or ion) pass through freely, to a limited extent or not at all. Cell surface receptors in the membrane allow cells to detect external signaling molecules such as hormones.
The two substrates of this enzyme are (S)-malic acid and oxidised nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Its products are pyruvic acid, carbon dioxide, and reduced NADH. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on the CH-OH group of donor with NAD+ or NADP+ as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is (S)-malate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (oxaloacetate-decarboxylating). Other names in common use include malic enzyme, pyruvic-malic carboxylase, NAD+-specific malic enzyme, NAD+-malic enzyme, and NAD+-linked malic enzyme. This enzyme participates in pyruvate metabolism.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Likewise, the Cohesin protein which binds sister chromatids in metaphase is able to be targeted by SUMOylation to allow the Cdc48 segregase to separate Cohesin and allow sister chromatid separation in early anaphase. In research as is often the case, scientists test drugs known to have significant effects on living systems; one such example is Rapamycin (known in pharmaceuticals as Sirolimus), the well-known inhibitor of mechanistic Target of Rapamycin, or mTOR. With respect to SUMOylation, Rapamycin may be thought of as having a "Sledge Hammer" effect, in which the drug promotes cellular autophagy, part of which includes broad-spectrum promotion of nonspecific SUMOylation for many proteins. This may be beneficial in some circumstances as it supports the breakdown of accumulated waste products. The importance of these studies in models such as yeast lies in their potential to inform scientists in the research and development of precise biomedical interventions that can translate to the improvement of human health in an array of clinical aspects.
WHO suggests preventing dermal exposure by occupational hygiene measures such as surface cleaning, and the use of appropriate gloves (conditional recommendation, low quality evidence). When assessment and measurement by a workplace safety expert is not available, WHO suggests using control banding for nanomaterials to select exposure control measures in the workplace. Owing to a lack of studies, WHO cannot recommend one method of control banding over another (conditional recommendation, very low-quality evidence). For health surveillance WHO could not make a recommendation for targeted MNM-specific health surveillance programmes over existing health surveillance programmes that are already in use owing to the lack of evidence. WHO considers training of workers and worker involvement in health and safety issues to be best practice but could not recommend one form of training of workers over another, or one form of worker involvement over another, owing to the lack of studies available. It is expected that there will be considerable progress in validated measurement methods and risk assessment and WHO expects to update these guidelines in five years' time, in 2022.
Rice (1932–2024), physical chemist Ellen Swallow Richards (1842–1911), industrial and environmental chemist Theodore William Richards (1868–1928), 1914 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Wim Richter (1946–2019), South Africa Jeremias Benjamin Richter (1762–1807), German chemist, first used the term stoichiometry Nikolaus Riehl (1901–1990), German chemist Andrés Manuel del Río (1764–1849), Spanish-Mexican geochemist, discovered vanadium Robert Robinson (1886–1975), British chemist, 1947 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Pierre Jean Robiquet (1780–1840), French chemist, discovered caffeine, alizarin, cantharidin Hillar Rootare (1928–2008), Estonian-American physical chemist Irwin Rose (1926–2015), 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Guillaume-François Rouelle (1703–1770), French chemist Hilaire-Marin Rouelle (1718–1779), French chemist Frank Sherwood Rowland (1927–2012), 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Daniel Rutherford (1749–1819), Scottish chemist Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937), New Zealand born chemist and nuclear physicist. Discovered the proton. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1908 Leopold Ruzicka (Lavoslav Ružička) (1887–1976), 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
=== Surgery === In severe cases, an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy procedure can be performed. Here, the nerves that signal the blood vessels of the fingertips to constrict are surgically cut. Microvascular surgery of the affected areas is another possible therapy, but this procedure should be a last resort. A more recent treatment for severe Raynaud's is botulinum toxin. In a 2009 study of 19 patients ranging in age from 15 to 72 years with severe Raynaud's phenomenon, 16 patients (84%) reported pain reduction at rest, 13 patients reported immediate pain relief, and three had gradual pain reduction over 1–2 months. All 13 patients with chronic finger ulcers healed within 60 days. Only 21% of the patients required repeated injections. A 2007 article describes similar improvement in a series of 11 patients. All patients had significant relief of pain.
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.
Residual moisture can influence chemical degradation, cake collapse, and long-term stability. Low moisture levels usually improve stability, but each product has an optimal range.