An ampoule is a small sealed glass vial containing a single dose of liquid that cannot be reused after opening. A vial is a cylindrical container, usually made of glass, that can hold multiple doses of a liquid and can be reused by cleaning. Key differences are that ampoules are single-use and hermetically sealed to preserve potency, while vials are multi-dose and have closures like screw caps that allow reuse but less protection from contamination.

1. Difference BetweenAmpoule and Vial
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What are Ampoule and Vial?
Both Ampoules and Vials require reconstitution. Ampules and vials can be seen on the shelves of
pharmaceutical laboratories or chemistry-based laboratories. Both categories of vessels play a
significant role in storing and preserving liquids, medicinal fluids, medicinal capsules and other
similar contents, typically for pharmaceutical purposes. These are used to mix medicines in order
to be delivered to a patient. Although both the storage containers refer to glass or sometimes
plastic containers, they benefit from several different designs and serve different purposes.
What is Ampoule?

2. An ampule, or ampoule, is a tiny single dosage vial with a sealed neck. Ampoules could be of
glass or plastic. Mostly, they are of glass. The neck of an ampoule is sealed using an open flame
in order to prevent contamination. This leads to an airtight obstruction for prevention of air,
moisture and water from contaminating the liquid inside the ampoule.
The seal is unfastened by cracking the top off the neck, that causes a tidy and hassle-free break
without any additional glass shards or slivers. Ampoules cannot be reused and once the sealed
neck is snapped off to have access to the pharmacy drug or any other stored liquid or solid, it is
thrown away. However, once opened, the content can be stored into a sealed sterile vial or into
slim pins.
What is Vial?
Vial is a broader term as compared to an ampoule. Vial is a small multi-dose container that can
hold serums, liquid drugs and other compounds used mostly in the medical industry. It is
typically made of glass and may or may not be sealed. Vial, in the form of container possesses a
screw on cap or a rubber plug. In some cases, the top of the vial possesses dropper to estimate
the liquid to retrieve. Vial has a flat base so that it can be rested on a flat surface or on the
counter.
Closure systems are of different types. For glass vials, screw cap is used. For lip vials, cork or
plastic stopper and for crimp vials, a rubber stopper and a metal cap are usually used. In case of
a Plastic vial, hinge caps (flip-flops or snap caps), are used.

3. Difference between Ampoule and Vial
1. Definition of Ampoule and Vial
Ampoule
An ampoule is also known as ampul, ampule, or ampulla. It is a sealed vial that contains or
stores a sample, usually liquid or solid.
Vial
A vial is also called as a phial or flacon. It is a small cylindrical container made of glass typically
for holding liquid medications.
2. Applications of Ampoule vs Vial
Ampoule
 Pharmaceuticals
 Retail industry
 Diagnostics
 Veterinary
 Spa items
 First Aid
 Cosmetics
 Dental
 Health and Beauty Aids
 Toiletries
Vial
 Pharmaceutical applications (liquids, powders or capsules)
 Autosampler devices in analytical chromatography.
 Scientific sample vessels
 Research applications
 Industrial applications
3. Potency protection of Ampoule and Vial
Ampoule
Unstable chemical compounds that, in the presence of oxygen or any other element keep
themselves intact, remain potent when stored in an ampoule. Typically, medical drug
manufacturers suck out the air from the ampoule before sealing it in order to prevent any
contamination or degradation of the content within the container.

4. Vial
A vial is not typical hermetic types and is known to best store the stable elements.
4. Reuse of Ampoule and Vial
Ampoule
Ampoules are not reusable once their glass neck is broken. At times, the breaking off the
ampoule is challenging and times the peril of injury also exists in case the broken glass debris
comes in contact with the contents inside the ampoule.
Vial
In contrast, a vial can be reused for storing purposes. It can be cleaned and reused several times
and possesses less risks of injury as compared to an ampoule.
5. Volume measurement in Ampoule and Vial
Ampoule
The holder of an ampule undergoes tiny disparities in its internal volume. It is due to the sealed
technology which causes melting of the glass. In most cases, a syringe with capacity indicators
sucks some liquid from the ampoule to sort the required quantity of the medicinal drug.
Vial
In contrast, a vial offers a, correct, explicit, and faultless quantity mark signs that become visual
indicators of the left-over quantity of the medicinal drug or any other product.
6. Mixing of Ampoule and Vial
Ampoule
The snapped off glass edge of unlatched ampules carries the peril of entry or establishment of
small glass debris into a mixture of chemicals and thus do not offer themselves to mixing items.
Vial
Vials are plastic or glass vessels that can be conveniently used for mixing multiple compounds of
chemical nature. By means of their glass membranes, the resulting mixture of chemical
compounds exhibit their consistent attribute and the colours. Most of the intravenous injections

5. that are available in the pharmacy stores are in the form of sealed containers or vials and the
stored liquid drugs are pulled out through a syringe.
Summary of Ampoule verses Vial
The points of difference between an Ampoule and a Vial have been summarized below:
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Research Consultant: PhD in Environmental Sciences at History of working in Elite Research
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