Exploration of the Use of Raman Microscopy to the Identification of Extractables and Leachables from Polymeric Containers

In a follow-up to my February 2020 column, I started a more systematic study of extractables and leachables. Following a suggestion from Mark Witkowski of the FDA, I looked at three sets of centrifuge vials that were exposed to the following liquids in an effort to evaluate the potential of Raman microscopy to identify compounds exiting in polymers under particular conditions: saline, phosphate buffer, water, saline treatment at 100 0C, phosphate buffer treatment at 100 0C, water treatment at 100 0C, ethanol, chloroform, pH 5, and pH 9. Although all containers were made of polypropylene (PP), they didn’t behave similarly. Compounds that were extracted from PP vials from different manufacturers were not always the same. Although the number of spectral types that are recorded is large, this article focuses on a few whose interpretation is interesting. The goal was to figure out when it makes sense to employ Raman microscopy for such identification. The characteristics considered were ease of sample preparation, the minimum quantity of material amenable to analysis, and the quality of the identification.