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IIIrd Semesester B. pharmacy
Physical Pharmaceutics-I
Unit-II
State of matter and properties
of matter (Part-9)
(Physicochemical properties of drug molecule:
Determination and Application 3. Dielectric constant
4. Dipole moment )
Miss. Pooja D. Bhandare
(Assistant professor)
Kandhar college of pharmacy
DIELECTRIC CONSTANT
• Definition: Physicochemical property of a solvent relating to the
amount of energy required to separate two opposite charged region in
the solvent as compared with the energy required to separate the same
in vacuum.
• Or, “dielectric constant of a substance is a measure of its efficiency to
induce dipole in another molecule.”
• A quantity measuring the ability of a substance to store electrical
energy in the electric field.
• The relative permittivity, or dielectric constant, of a material is its
permittivity expressed as a ratio relative to the vacuum permittivity.
Permittivity is a material property that affects the Coulombs force
between two point charges in the material.
• Expressed as εr =
𝜺
𝜺𝟎
• Where, εr = relative permittivity,
ε = Permittivity of material
ε0 = Permittivity of vacuum
DETERMINATION
• An electrical condenser (capacitor) is
considered to understand the concept
of dielectric constant.
• Condenser is one that can store
energy.
• A simple condenser consists of two
parallel plates separated by an
insulting medium
• Dielectric constant is measured by measuring the effect of the intervening
solvent on the electric field between two opposite charged particles.
• The capacitance between the two plates for holding the test solution
between the plates is measured.
• After that, measure the capacitance by maintaining the vacuum between the
plates.
• Then, the dielectric constant is obtained which is the ratio of the
capacitance of a capacitor completely filled with the dielectric to the
capacitance of the capacitor filled with space or vacuum.
• Formula
ε =
𝐶
𝐶0
, C0 =
ε 𝑜𝐴
𝑡
Where,
C = capacitance using material as the dielectric capacitor
Co = capacitance using vacuum as the dielectric.
εo = Permittivity of free space
A= Area pf a plate/ sample cross section area
T = Thickness of the sample
Units: dimensionless because it is a ratio
APPLICATION
1. To measure polarity of solvent: higher the magnitude of the
dielectric constant, the greater the polarity of solvent.
2. Solubilization of drugs: The higher the magnitude of the dielectric
constant, the greater the solvation energy to the solvent, hence
greater is solubility
3. Selection of solvents or solvents blends for the solubility of drug
DIPOLE MOMENT
• In the chemical structure of a polar molecule, the poles are separated.
• Dipolar molecule is defined as the one in which the region of positive
and negative charges are well separated due to uneven distribution of
electrons in the molecule.
• Water, hydrochloric acid etc.
• The magnitude of charge separation is expressed as dipole moment.
• Dipole moment is define as the vector equal in magnitude to the product
of electric charge and distance, having the direction of the joining the
positive and negative centers
• Dipole moment has a magnitude and direction.
• Mathematically, dipole moment expressed as
μ = qr
Where,
μ= Dipole moment
r = distance chargeq
q = charges
Units: SI Coulomb matre, cgs: debye
• Polarizability is defined as the ease with which an ion or a molecule can
be polarized by any external force.
• In the influence of external force, dipole can also have induced dipoles
which facilitated further alignment of negatively charged centres close to
positively charge centres. Similarly, chlorine molecule gets polarized and
develops charges. This is called induced dipole moment.
 DETERMINATION
• When a solution of polar molecule is placed between two plates having
opposite charge, they align themselves along the direction of the field.
• This process consumes energy that is returned to the electric circuit when
the field is switched off, an effect know as electrical capacitance.
• The measurement of capacitance of a gas or a solution serves to determine
the magnitude of the dipole moment of a substance.
APPLICATION
1. Solubilization of drugs.
i. By hydrating solute molecules and ions.
ii. By inducing in nonpolar molecules.
2. Crystalline nature of solids: eg. Oice crystals are organized through
their dipole forces
3. Dipole forces are believed to contribute for drug-receptor interaction.
4. Therapeutic activity of drugs: permanent dipole moment can be
correlated with biological activity.
5. Chemical structure of compounds
i. Deciding nature of a bond
ii. Identifying shape of molecules
iii. Identifying the shape and bond angle
iv. Deciding the arrangement of groups
v. Identifying geometric isomers.
Thank you!