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Chiroptical spectroscopy, and its double and triple hyphenated combinations with UV-VIS spectroscopy and/or separation techniques constitute great progress in pharmaceutical analysis, of which five recently developed methods are surveyed here, as follows: The determination of enantiomeric purity by double, CD/UV detection without, and with the latter one provides enhanced sensitivity and selectivity. The determination of chromatographic peak homogeneity, by double detection, and peak slicing by recording. The separation, identification and four stereoisomers of doubly chiral compounds, by HPLC separation on chiral column, and optical-chiroptical detection.

It has been investigated if UV-VIS spectroscopy and spectrophotometry can be regarded to be obsolete methods in pharmaceutical analysis. The conclusions are as follows. As a consequence of the introduction and spreading of highly efficient spectroscopic methods in the structural analysis of organic compounds the importance of UV-VIS spectroscopy as a structure elucidation tool has greatly decreased. At the same time, however, diode-array UV spectrophotometers used as HPLC detectors have created very convenient possibilities for the identification of minor components (impurities, degradation products, etc.) in drugs. This statement is illustrated by several practical examples. On the basis of some data taken from the British Pharmacopoeia 1998 it is stated that UV spectrophotometry as a quantitative analytical method still belongs to the most frequently used analytical techniques in pharmaceutical analysis. At the same time, however, the authors are of negative opinion about the up-to-dateness and usefulness of colorimetric methods still very often published for the determination of drug substances.

Main applications of modern thermal methods in the pharmaceutical analysis are reviewed. While these methods are widely employed in pharmaceutical industry, they are only recommended--but not prescribed--in the general part of the VIIth Pharmacopoea Hungarica and consequently, this field is practically unknown for the pharmacists. The aim of this paper is to call attention to the advantage of the application of modern thermal methods (DTA, TG, DSC) in contrast to the classical ones. They permit a quick and accurate measurement of the melting point, the determination of purity and eutectic point, to clear up the possibility of conditions for the development of polymorphic modifications, and to follow the process of loosing the water of crystallization.