Low-cost system based on image analysis to determine solubility curves

This article reports the development of a simple, rapid, and low-cost method that uses image analysis to determine solubility curves. The detection system is composed of a webcam with a CCD sensor and software for processing and analyzing the digital images based on the RGB color system. Adipic acid was chosen as a case study to evaluate the performance of the image analysis method. The results of the quantitative analysis using the developed method were compared to the results obtained by ATR-FTIR and were found to be statistically equivalent. In order to check the applicability of the method for other substrates and solvents, the determination of the solubility curve of ibuprofen in ethyl acetate was also determined using the RGB image analysis method. These results were also validated by the FTIR data. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.