Comparison between descriptors of geometric shapes and frequential descriptors - Characterization and recognition of pharmaceutical active principlesby means of factorial plans

In pharmaceutics, the characterization of powder properties is very importa nt, because it governs a number of biological factors. Particle size analys is has thus gained much attention in recent years. Among quantification met hods, image analysis from microscopic observations allows examination of in dividual particles, leading to a morphological and structural approach and a general study giving a statistical dimension to the analysis. This articl e compares the descriptive quality of different shape factors with a view t o automatic classification in pharmaceutical powder characterization.