This is a working overview of Collapse temperature, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-08-01 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
A freeze-dryer consists of a vacuum chamber, temperature-controlled shelves, a condenser, and a vacuum pump. Vials, ampoules, or bulk trays hold the product during the cycle. The condenser traps water vapor as ice at a temperature lower than the product. Cycle development balances shelf temperature, chamber pressure, and time. Scale-up can be difficult because heat and mass transfer change with equipment size, so process analytical tools and conservative validation are often used.
Lyophilization is a dehydration technique in which a product is frozen and the solvent is removed under reduced pressure. The low pressure allows ice to sublimate directly into vapor without passing through a bulk liquid phase. This differs from conventional drying, where heat drives evaporation and can damage heat-sensitive structures. The process is used for biological materials, pharmaceutical formulations, and some foods. Its main advantage is preservation of porous structure and rapid reconstitution.
Freezing is the first stage and sets the ice structure that later becomes the pore network. The formulation is cooled below its freezing point, often with a controlled ramp, and solutes concentrate as ice forms. Primary drying then lowers chamber pressure and supplies heat to sublime the ice. The product temperature must stay below its collapse or eutectic temperature to prevent structural loss. Secondary drying raises the temperature modestly to remove bound water and achieve a low residual moisture.
Formulation composition influences whether freeze-drying produces an intact cake or a collapsed mass. Excipients such as sugars and polymers can raise the collapse temperature and provide bulk during drying. The critical temperature for primary drying is often the collapse temperature or the glass transition temperature of the maximally concentrated phase. If the product temperature exceeds this threshold, the frozen matrix may soften and lose structure. Established practice therefore links shelf temperature and chamber pressure to the formulation's thermal properties.
The physics of freeze-drying couples heat transfer, mass transfer, and phase change. Heat supplied through the shelf must reach the sublimation front without melting the ice or degrading the product. Water vapor then travels through the already dried layer and leaves the chamber, where low pressure and cold traps keep it from returning. The dried layer acts as a resistance to vapor flow, so drying rate changes as the front recedes. Open questions remain about how pore structure and formulation heterogeneity affect drying uniformity at larger scales.
Lyophilization removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under reduced pressure. The process begins with freezing, which converts liquid water into ice and concentrates dissolved solids. Primary drying then lowers chamber pressure so ice changes directly into vapor without passing through a liquid phase. Secondary drying raises the shelf temperature to remove bound water that remains after ice sublimation. The result is a dry, porous structure that can be reconstituted later.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common synonyms | freeze-drying, lyophilisation, cryodesiccation | Lyophilization is common in pharmaceutical literature. |
| Typical chamber pressure during primary drying | 0.05–0.5 mbar (5–50 Pa) | Must remain below the triple point of water. |
| Typical shelf temperature during freezing | −40 to −20 °C | Lower temperatures may be used for eutectic systems. |
| Typical residual moisture after secondary drying | 0.5–3% w/w | Product-dependent; low moisture improves stability but can cause over-drying. |
| Typical analytical method for residual moisture | Karl Fischer titration or loss on drying | Thermogravimetric methods are also used. |
The physics of lyophilization couples heat transfer, mass transfer, and phase behavior. Sublimation requires a vapor pressure difference between the ice front and the chamber, and the dried layer adds resistance to vapor flow. Amorphous formulations are characterized by a glass transition temperature of the maximally freeze-concentrated solute, often denoted Tg'. Crystalline bulking agents can provide structure, while amorphous excipients stabilize labile components. Open questions remain about spatial heterogeneity, edge effects, and how laboratory cycles scale to production.
Lyophilization is a drying process in which a solvent, usually water, is removed from a frozen material by sublimation under reduced pressure. The material is first solidified, then placed under vacuum so that ice transitions directly to vapor without a bulk liquid phase. This approach suits heat-sensitive substances that would degrade during conventional evaporation. Primary drying removes unbound ice, while secondary drying reduces water that remains adsorbed to the solid matrix. The result is a porous, lightweight solid that can be reconstituted later.
Freezing determines ice crystal structure and pore size, which affect drying speed and product uniformity. Rapid freezing creates small crystals, while slow freezing creates larger crystals and often faster sublimation. During primary drying, chamber pressure is held below the vapor pressure of ice, and shelf temperature supplies heat for sublimation. The ice front recedes, leaving a porous matrix. Thermal limits such as collapse and eutectic temperatures set safe boundaries for formulation. These limits vary with solute composition and concentration.
Secondary drying removes bound water that remains after ice sublimation. Shelf temperature is raised gradually while pressure remains low, reducing water content to a target range. Over-drying can cause brittleness or electrostatic issues, while under-drying affects stability. The endpoint is often judged by pressure rise tests, temperature measurements, or water content analysis. Scale-up depends on matching heat and mass transfer across equipment sizes. Small changes in shelf temperature or pressure can alter cycle length substantially.
Lyophilization, also called freeze-drying, removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under reduced pressure. The process begins with freezing, which converts free water into ice and may also produce a glassy phase. Primary drying then lowers chamber pressure so ice sublimes directly to vapor without passing through a liquid stage. Secondary drying raises the temperature modestly to remove bound water. The result is a porous, dry solid that usually reconstitutes quickly. Each stage influences pore structure, residual moisture, and stability.
The physics of lyophilization depends on phase boundaries and heat and mass transfer. During primary drying, heat supplied to the product must equal the latent heat of sublimation, while water vapor moves through the drying cake to the condenser. If shelf temperature or pressure is set too high, the ice front can exceed the collapse temperature, causing meltback or pore collapse. If conditions are too cold, drying slows and costs rise. Formulation excipients, vial geometry, and freezing rate alter these limits.
Lyophilization, also known as freeze-drying, is a process that removes water from a material by freezing it and then reducing pressure to allow ice to sublimate directly into vapor. The method begins with a freezing step that solidifies the water content. Next, primary drying lowers the pressure below the triple point of water, enabling sublimation without passing through a liquid phase. A final secondary drying step removes bound water through desorption. This sequence produces a dry, porous cake that can be reconstituted later.
The process relies on the phase diagram of water, where the triple point marks the conditions at which ice, liquid water, and vapor coexist. By maintaining pressure below this point, typically around 0.01 to 0.1 millibar, sublimation becomes the dominant mechanism. Formulations often include excipients such as sugars or polymers that act as lyoprotectants and bulking agents. These additives help preserve the structure of the active ingredient and prevent collapse during drying. The choice of excipient and freezing rate influences the final cake morphology and stability.
Industries use lyophilization for pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food preservation. In the pharmaceutical sector, it extends the shelf life of injectable drugs, vaccines, and proteins that are unstable in aqueous solution. Food manufacturers apply freeze-drying to coffee, fruits, and ready meals to retain flavor and texture. The process is energy-intensive and requires specialized equipment, which limits its use to high-value products. Ongoing research examines how formulation and process parameters affect the quality of the final dried product.
=== Sleeping sickness === Sleeping sickness, or trypanosomiasis, is treated with pentamidine or suramin (depending on subspecies of parasite) delivered by intramuscular injection in the first phase of the disease, and with melarsoprol and eflornithine intravenous injection in the second phase of the disease. Eflornithine is commonly given in combination with nifurtimox, which reduces the treatment time to 7 days of eflornithine infusions plus 10 days of oral nifurtimox tablets. Eflornithine is also effective in combination with other drugs, such as melarsoprol and nifurtimox. A study in 2005 compared the safety of eflornithine alone to melarsoprol and found eflornithine to be more effective and safe in treating second-stage sleeping sickness Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Eflornithine is not effective in the treatment of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense due to the parasite's low sensitivity to the drug. Instead, melarsoprol is used to treat Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Another randomized control trial in Uganda compared the efficacy of various combinations of these drugs and found that the nifurtimox-eflornithine combination was the most promising first-line theory regimen. A randomized control trial was conducted in Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda to determine if a 7-day intravenous regimen was as efficient as the standard 14-day regimen for new and relapsing cases. The results showed that the shortened regimen was efficacious in relapse cases, but was inferior to the standard regimen for new cases of the disease.
The inactivating ALDH2*2 mutation is "the most common single point mutation in humans". This mutation is found in very few White people, but about 50% of East Asians are heterozygous for this mutation. The ALDH2*2 allele encodes lysine instead of glutamic acid at amino acid 487, distorting the NAD+ binding site. ALDH2 assembles and functions as a tetramer and requires all four of its components to be active in order to metabolize acetaldehyde. People heterozygous for ALDH2*2 have only 10% to 45% enzyme activity, while those homozygous for ALDH2*2 have as little as 1% to 5% remaining activity. The lack of ALDH2 activity has a number of consequences, detailed in section § Inhibition and genetic deficiency below.
This poses a real challenge for the translators because they have to render the meaning, i.e. find an equivalent, of a very specific, scientific term in the target language and frequently the narrator uses a more general name instead of a specific term and the translator has to rely on the image presented in the programme to understand which term is being discussed in order to transpose it in the target language accordingly. Additionally, translators of minorised languages often face another problem: some terms may not exist in the target language. In such cases, they have to create new terminology or consult specialists to find proper solutions. Also, sometimes the official nomenclature differs from the terminology used by actual specialists, which leaves the translator to decide between using the official vocabulary that can be found in the dictionary, or rather opting for spontaneous expressions used by real experts in real-life situations.
=== 1997–present: CKE, Imasco, Plamondon Companies === In 1997, CKE Restaurants acquired Hardee's from Imasco, but Imasco retained the Roy Rogers trademark and franchise system. The Riese family, which owned 18 Roy Rogers restaurants, sued CKE Restaurants and Imasco for $10 million in 1997, claiming the Roy Rogers chain has been destroyed through "a series of marketing errors of epic proportions." Imasco sold Roy Rogers to Plamondon Enterprises (now Plamondon Companies) in 2002, after three years of negotiation. Roy Rogers was relaunched as Roy Rogers Franchise Company, LLC. Plamondon had already opened the first new Roy Rogers restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, in 2000. At the time of the sale, there were 63 existing Roy Rogers franchises in nine states. In 2021, Roy Rogers announced a strategy to build concentrically out of core markets in the Mid-Atlantic, like Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The growth circle would slowly get bigger and include New York, the Eastern Seaboard, and states like Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The next year, the company announced a new partnership with One Holland Corporation restaurant group and planned to open 10 new Roy Rogers locations over the next six years in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The new locations would be in Hamilton, Butler, and Clermont counties in Southwest Ohio; Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Southeast Indiana. Despite these plans, a spokesperson for One Holland Corp.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Lawsuit against WTVT === In 1997, the news division of WTVT (Channel 13), a Fox-owned station in Tampa, Florida, planned to air an investigative report by Steve Wilson and Jane Akre on the health risks associated with Monsanto's bovine growth hormone product, Posilac. Just before the story was to air, Fox received a letter from Monsanto saying the reporters were biased and that the story would damage the company. Akre stated that Wilson and she went through 83 rewrites over eight months. Negotiations broke down and both reporters were eventually fired. Wilson and Akre alleged the firing was for retaliation, while WTVT contended they were fired for insubordination. The reporters then sued Fox/WTVT in Florida state court under the state's whistleblower statute. In 2000, a Florida jury found that while no evidence showed Fox/WTVT had bowed to any pressure from Monsanto to alter the story, Akre, but not Wilson, was a whistleblower and was unjustly fired. She was awarded a $425,000 settlement. At the time of the decision, "the station claimed it did not bend to Monsanto's letter and wanted to air a hard-hitting story with a number of statements critical of Monsanto." Fox appealed the decision stating that under Florida law, a whistleblower can only act if "a law, rule, or regulation" has been broken and argued that the FCC's policy against distortions or misrepresentations presented as news did not fit that definition.
The complete breakdown of glucose releasing its energy is called cellular respiration. The last steps of this process occur in mitochondria. The reduced molecules NADH and FADH2 are generated by the Krebs cycle, glycolysis, and pyruvate processing. These molecules pass electrons to an electron transport chain, which releases the energy of oxygen to create a proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane. ATP synthase then uses the energy stored in this gradient to make ATP. This process is called oxidative phosphorylation because it uses energy released by the oxidation of NADH and FADH2 to phosphorylate ADP into ATP.
First generation The Cronin–Gerow prosthetic breast, Model 1963, was in the shape of a teardrop, made as a silicone rubber envelope-sack filled with a viscous silicone-gel. In surgical practise, to reduce the possible rotation of the prosthetic breast already emplaced in the implant socket in the chest, the Model 1963 breast prosthesis was held in place in the implant-socket with a fastener-patch of Dacron material (polyethylene terephthalate) that was attached to the back of the breast-prosthesis shell.
== Diagnosis == There are various tools that can be used to help diagnose myositis. The most common methods are physical examination, electromyography (EMG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), muscle biopsy, and blood tests. The first course of action a doctor will likely take is perform a physical exam. The doctor assesses for muscle weakness or rashes. Another possible test is electromyography. This test involves the insertion of small needles into the patient's muscles. This allows a physician to look at the muscles' responses to various electrical nerve stimuli and evaluate which muscles potentially have myositis. Magnetic resonance imaging can be useful in diagnosis, allowing painless, non-invasive visualisation of any muscle wastage. Muscle biopsies, however, are the most reliable tests for diagnosing myositis. There are also a variety of blood tests available that help in the diagnosis of myositis. The doctor may look for an elevation of creatine kinase in the blood, which is indicative of muscle inflammation. Certain autoantibodies (antibodies that target muscle cells) can also be found in the blood, which can indicate that myositis is caused by an autoimmune disease. Some specific examples of autoantibodies are Anti-Jo-1, Anti-HMGCR, Anti-TIF1, etc.
The earliest forms of cigarettes were similar to their predecessor, the cigar. Cigarettes appear to have had antecedents in Mexico and Central America around the 9th century in the form of reeds and smoking tubes. The Maya, and later the Aztecs, smoked tobacco and other psychoactive drugs in religious rituals and frequently depicted priests and deities smoking on pottery and temple engravings. The cigarette and the cigar were the most common methods of smoking in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America until recent times. The North American, Central American, and South American cigarette used various plant wrappers; when it was brought back to Spain, maize wrappers were introduced, and by the 17th century, fine paper. The resulting product was called papelate and is documented in Goya's paintings La Cometa, La Merienda en el Manzanares, and El juego de la pelota a pala (18th century). By 1830 the cigarette had become known in France, where it received the name cigarette, and in 1845 the French state tobacco monopoly began manufacturing them. The French word made its way into English in the 1840s. Some American reformers promoted the spelling cigaret, but this was never widespread and is now largely abandoned. The first patented cigarette-making machine was invented by Juan Nepomuceno Adorno of Mexico in 1847. In the 1850s, Turkish cigarette leaves became popular.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
To create a T2-weighted image, magnetization is allowed to decay before measuring the MR signal by changing the echo time (TE). This image weighting is useful for detecting edema and inflammation, revealing white matter lesions, and assessing zonal anatomy in the prostate and uterus. The information from MRI scans comes in the form of image contrasts based on differences in the rate of relaxation of nuclear spins following their perturbation by an oscillating magnetic field (in the form of radiofrequency pulses through the sample). The relaxation rates are a measure of the time it takes for a signal to decay back to an equilibrium state from either the longitudinal or transverse plane. Magnetization builds up along the z-axis in the presence of a magnetic field, B0, such that the magnetic dipoles in the sample will, on average, align with the z-axis summing to a total magnetization Mz. This magnetization along z is defined as the equilibrium magnetization; magnetization is defined as the sum of all magnetic dipoles in a sample. Following the equilibrium magnetization, a 90° radiofrequency (RF) pulse flips the direction of the magnetization vector in the xy-plane, and is then switched off. The initial magnetic field B0, however, is still applied. Thus, the spin magnetization vector will slowly return from the xy-plane back to the equilibrium state. The time it takes for the magnetization vector to return to its equilibrium value, Mz, is referred to as the longitudinal relaxation time, T1.
=== International perspective === Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965 was promptly condemned by the international community. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 216 of 12 November 1965 called "upon all States not to recognise this illegal racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia." Rhodesia campaigned for international acceptance and invoked the doctrine of non-intervention in internal affairs as justification for rebuking external criticism of its internal policies. However, the emerging doctrine of self-determination in colonial situations meant that most nations regarded Rhodesia's self-declared independence as illegitimate. Zambia, formerly Northern Rhodesia, took a pragmatic approach towards Rhodesia. Kenneth Kaunda, heavily dependent on access through Rhodesia for his nation's copper ore exports, fuel, and power imports unofficially worked with the Rhodesian government. Rhodesia still allowed Zambia to export and import its goods through its territory to Mozambique ports, despite the Zambian government's official policy of hostility and non-recognition of the post-UDI Smith Administration. The United States, like all other Western nations, refused to recognise Rhodesia, but unlike others allowed its Consulate-General to function as a communications conduit between the US government in Washington, DC and the Rhodesian government in Salisbury. When Rhodesia set up the Rhodesian Information Office in Washington, DC, OAS nations loudly protested.
=== Arthropods === Venomous arthropods include spiders, which use fangs on their chelicerae to inject venom, and centipedes, which use forcipules — modified legs — to deliver venom, while scorpions and stinging insects inject venom with a sting. In bees and wasps, the stinger is a modified ovipositor (egg-laying device). In Polistes fuscatus, the female continuously releases a venom that contains a sex pheromone that induces copulatory behavior in males. In wasps such as Polistes exclamans, venom is used as an alarm pheromone, coordinating a response from the nest and attracting nearby wasps to attack the predator. In some species, such as Parischnogaster striatula, venom is applied all over the body as an antimicrobial protection. Many caterpillars have defensive venom glands associated with specialized bristles on the body called urticating hairs. These are usually merely irritating, but those of the Lonomia moth can be fatal to humans. Bees synthesize and employ an acidic venom (apitoxin) to defend their hives and food stores, whereas wasps use a chemically different venom to paralyse prey, so their prey remains alive to provision the food chambers of their young. The use of venom is much more widespread than just these examples; many other insects, such as true bugs and many ants, also produce venom. The ant species Polyrhachis dives uses venom topically for the sterilisation of pathogens.
== Risk assessments for PhIP == There is no dose [of PhIP] without effect. Therefore, a margin of exposure (MOE) based on the benchmark lower confidence limit (BMDL) reference has been developed for PhIP in relation to prostate and mammary carcinomas.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Yes, the terms are generally interchangeable. Lyophilization is more common in pharmaceutical and laboratory contexts, while freeze-drying appears widely in food science and general writing. Both describe removal of solvent by sublimation under vacuum after freezing.
Reduced pressure keeps the process below the triple point of water, so ice can sublimate directly to vapor. It also lowers the temperature needed for drying, which helps preserve heat-sensitive materials. Without vacuum, melting or boiling could occur instead of controlled sublimation.
The rate depends on heat transfer to the product and mass transfer of vapor through the dried layer. A cold condenser, adequate vacuum, and suitable shelf temperature all influence speed. Formulation properties such as solid content and collapse temperature also set practical limits.
Primary drying removes ice by sublimation at low pressure and low shelf temperature. Secondary drying removes bound water by raising the shelf temperature, often under the same vacuum. The two stages differ in the water state being removed.