how the glass ampules containing liquid drugs are made without destroying the drug?
In: Engineering
The ampules are made complete, but leave a necked down opening near the top. The fill the drug and torch the opening closed. In such a short time no heat gets to the liquid.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampoule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampoule)
You take a glass bulb that’s open at the top with a long thin glass neck, pour the liquid in, then heat part of that neck until it starts to melt then twist it so the melted part seals itself and the rest of the neck tube can be cut off.
Because glass has low thermal conductivity only that spot you heat on the neck actually gets very hot.
[With a blowtorch!](https://youtu.be/GEmINGq8HDQ?feature=shared)
Liquid is filled into a small glass cylinder, and the opening of the top of the cylinder is heated until it melts and crimped close with a tool like needle nose pliers. Only the top of the glass container is heated while the liquid sits at the bottom of the container.
Forgive my ignorance but after it is sealed how do you get the drug back out? Snap the top off? No worry about pieces of glass getting into the medicine?
Latest Answers