Supercritical fluid extraction is a potential technique for the purification of pharmaceutical products
containing residual solvents. The solubilities of the drugs in supercritical carbon dioxide are being
measured as part of a program in which the potential applications of this technology are being investigated.
The solubilities of three inhibitors of inflammatory activity, Ketoprofen, Piroxicam, and Nimesulide, in
supercritical CO2, measured using a dynamic saturation technique, are reported at pressures between
100 bar and 220 bar and at two temperatures: 312.5 K and 331.5 K. These chemicals have relatively
high solubilities with values ranging from 4 10-6 to 15 10-4 mole fraction. The solubilities exhibit
a clear dependence on the solvent density, and this has been used to provide a simple and precise
correlation of the data.
