Pharmaceutical ink
Encyclopedia
Pharmaceutical ink is an ingestible form of water
-based ink used on most medicine pill
s to indicate which drug it is, and/or how many milligrams the pill contains.
, shellac
, titanium dioxide
and propylene glycol
.
Most pharmaceutical inks since the early 1990s eliminate ethyl alcohol in favor of faster ink drying times, and may include methyl alcohol
and isopropanol in addition to the traditional ingredients titanium dioxide and propylene glycol.
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
-based ink used on most medicine pill
Tablet
A tablet is a pharmaceutical dosage form. It comprises a mixture of active substances and excipients, usually in powder form, pressed or compacted from a powder into a solid dose...
s to indicate which drug it is, and/or how many milligrams the pill contains.
History
The first U.S. patent for pharmaceutical inks was filed on 28 June 1966, and its method involved ethyl alcoholEthanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
, shellac
Shellac
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes , which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish...
, titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of...
and propylene glycol
Propylene glycol
Propylene glycol, also called 1,2-propanediol or propane-1,2-diol, is an organic compound with formula C3H8O2 or HO-CH2-CHOH-CH3...
.
Most pharmaceutical inks since the early 1990s eliminate ethyl alcohol in favor of faster ink drying times, and may include methyl alcohol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
and isopropanol in addition to the traditional ingredients titanium dioxide and propylene glycol.
External links
- U.S. Patent no. 3,258,347 - original pharmaceutical ink patent
- U.S. Patent no. 5,006,362, filed 9 April 1991 - eliminates ethanol in favor of faster ink drying times