TABLE OF CONTENTS The formulation chemist will, from time to time, be called upon to examine the products from different manufacturers, to assess his/her own preparations and to attend to some basic quality checks on raw materials. When examining the products made by another company it is wise to be mindful of commercial secrecy and the risks involved in acquiring information that is the intellectual property of a third party or which may be protected by patents.
Where analysis of another company's products is embarked upon some serious consideration must be given as to how the results will be used. To use them to produce an exact copy or as near as is technically possible for commercial gain may well invite some contentious situations, and to publish the results of such work would certainly be treading on marshy ground. Be that as it may, all commercial formulation work carries with it an element of seeing what the competition are up to .
In the following pages an overview of the analytical and test methods that are commonly used in the formulation laboratory is given. Many of the methods double as investigation tools as well as devices for checking the quality of incoming raw materials and finished products. Although some procedures look to be quite simple none of them should ever be used on a one off basis; in each case experience in using the method and familiarity in the way a particular sample responds is essential. Proper attention should be given...
