NISSO HPC

Pharmaceutical

General Information

NISSO HPC

NISSO HPC (Hydroxypropyl Cellulose) is a modified cellulose obtained by reacting propylene oxide with cellulose. The presence of hydroxypropoxy group prevents the hydrogen bonding between the hydroxy groups on the cellulose chain, thereby making HPC soluble.

NISSO HPC was first sold in Japan in 1969 and is globally approved for use in food product and as a pharmaceutical excipient. Nippon Soda has multiple manufacturing lines in Niigata, Japan which have been fully IPEC GMP compliant since 2010.

Features of NISSO HPC

  1. Highest efficiency tablet binder
  2. Soluble in water and polar organic solvents
  3. Nonionic, nonreactive, nontoxic
  4. Eight different molecular weight grades produced designed for immediate or sustained release
  5. Three different particle size grades tailored to wet or dry application
  6. Minimal lot-to-lot variability enabling Quality By Design
  7. Global regulatory approval in food and pharma
  8. 5-year shelf life
  9. No additives such as silica

Physical and Chemicals Characteristics

Solution Characteristics
Viscosity vs. Solution Concentration (aq.)
Viscosity vs. Solution Concentration (ethanol)
Viscosity vs Temperature Curve
Gelation Temperature SSL-20% SL-10% L-8% M-2% H-1% VH-1%
Temp.(℃) 50 47 45 42 41 41
Thermal Cohesiveness
Moisture content over time
Effect of pH on HPC aqueous viscosity

2% solutions of HPC were measured at various pH at 20°C.

Solubility of HPC-L 2%
Solution name (general name) Viscosity (mPa·s) Viscosity ratio（＊1） Appearance Solubility（＊2）
Water 6.3 1 Transparent ◯
Methanol 3.4 0.5 Transparent ○
Ethanol 6.9 1.1 Transparent ○
Isopropyl alcohol 13.1 2.1 Transparent ○
tert-Butanol 33.0 5.2 Transparent △
n-Butanol 17.0 2.7 Transparent ○
Cyclo-hexanol 397.0 62.7 Transparent △
Propylene glycol 276.0 43.6 Transparent △
Acetone 2.0 0.3 Very slight clouding △
Cyclohexanone 16.9 2.7 Transparent ○
THF 3.5 0.6 Transparent ○
Dioxane 8.5 1.3 Very slight clouding △
Cellosolve 12.6 2.0 Transparent ○
Butyl cellosolve 19.1 3.0 Transparent ○
Glacial acetic acid 9.4 1.5 Transparent ○
Formic acid 11.5 1.8 Transparent ○
Lactic acide 416.0 65.7 Transparent △
Ethyl acetate ― ― Dense clouding ×
Butyl acetate ― ― Dense clouding ×
DMF 4.7 0.7 Transparent ○
DMSO 10.9 1.7 Transparent ○
Pyridine 5.8 0.9 Transparent ○
Methyl chloride 5.9 0.9 Transparent ○
Chloroform 7.7 1.2 Transparent ○
Benzene:Methanol（1：1） 3.8 0.6 Transparent ○
Toluene:Ethanol（3：2） 4.6 0.7 Transparent ○
Glycerin:Water（3：7） 15.3 2.4 Transparent ○

（＊１）Aqueous solution is defined as 1.

（＊２）○=Soluble, △=Difficult to dissolve, ×=Insoluble