• Glass is an amorphousamorphous solid material which is usually brittlebrittle and optically transparentoptically transparent.

• Glass is composed of sand, soda ash, cullet, silicon, aluminum, boron, potassium, zinc etc.

• Pharmaceutical container is defined as a device that holds the pharmaceutical formulations and it may or may not be in direct contact with the formulation.

• It must be neutral and not react with the materials it is holding.

• It must maintain stability by resisting environmental factors.

• It must be simply designed for dose withdrawal.• The material must be resistance to temperature

and pressure of sterilization.• Closure must be easily removable and replaced.

Glass is commonly used in pharmaceutical packaging because it possesses:

• Superior protection• It’s economical• Chemically inert• Has FDA clearance• Is an excellent barrier against practically all

elements• Doesn’t deteriorate with time

TYPES OF GLASSES

TYPE-IBorosilicate glass

TYPE-IITreated soda-lime

glass

TYPE-IIISoda-lime glass

TYPE-IV(NP)

Highly resistance glassHighly resistance glass, a substantial part of the alkali and earth cations are replaced by boron and/or aluminum and zinc.

The addition of about 6% boron6% boron to form borosilicate glass reduces the leaching action, so that only 0.5 ppm0.5 ppm is dissolved in a year.

Suitable for parenteralparenteral usage.

This type of glass is formed by removal of surface alkali by treatment with sulfur di-oxide, sulfur di-oxide, ammonium sulfate or ammonium chlorideammonium sulfate or ammonium chloride to prevent “weathering” or “blooming”.weathering” or “blooming”.

The glass is treated with the above said chemicals at an elevated temperatureelevated temperature.

This makes the surface resistant and the alkali removed appears on surface as blooms.

Containers are made of untreated commercial soda-lime glass.

Chemical resistance is average or better then average.

Suitable for storage of anhydrous parenteral products.

These are made of plane soda- lime.They are used for storage of oral and topical use.