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Abstract
The effect of compression pressure and geometrical factors (thickness and diameter) of tablet on the dehydration kinetics of theophylline monohydrate tablets was studied using an infrared water-content measuring instrument. The dehydration rate of 2 cm diameter tablets decreased with increase in tabletting pressure. The dehydration rates of tablets also depended on tablet shape. The 2 cm diameter tablets (thin tablets) dehydrated faster than 1 cm diameter tablets (thick tablets). Dehydration of the powder bed (loosely packed tablets) and 2 cm tablets compressed at 49 MPa followed the two-dimensional phase boundary equation, and that of 2 cm diameter tablets compressed at 98 MPa and 196 MPa (thin tablets) followed the three-dimensional phase boundary equation. Dehydration of 1 cm diameter tablets compressed at 98 MPa (thick tablets) followed the one-dimensional diffusion equation. It seems that the dehydration of the tablet was controlled by the porosity and the surface area of the tablet. Therefore, tablet thickness and tabletting pressure are important factors affecting the dehydration mechanism.