Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum and one of the most popular polymeric materials with diverse industrial/biological/medical applications. PEG is routinely synthesized by polymerizing ethylene oxide, wherein ethylene oxide reacts with ethylene glycol (EG) in presence of a catalyst to form polymers of ethylene oxide.
PEG can be used as a permeation enhancer, thickener, solubilizer, coating agent for tablets capsules and as a surface modifier in various drug delivery formulations. PEG with a molecular weight 400 (PEG 400) is a clear, colorless, viscous liquid that readily dissolves many hydrophobic drugs and hence it is widely used as a solvent for many oral and topical pharmaceutical products, specifically in ophthalmic solutions to treat dry eyes.
This application note reports the results from the analysis of Ethylene Glycol and Diethylene Glycol in Polyethylene Glycol 400 sample according to USP requirements performed with the PerkinElmer GC 2400 System equipped with a packed column injector and FID as detector, showing improved productivity and lab time optimization. PerkinElmer SimplicityChrom Chromatography Data System (CDS) Software manages the analytical workflow, and it supports compliance with Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 11.