# Structural Characterization of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Commercial Drug Products by Multi-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Iowa State University (IA) · $492,183

## Abstract

With the support of the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Aaron Rossini at Iowa State University is developing solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy approaches to enable the atomic-level structural characterization of formulated pharmaceuticals. A persistent challenge in the pharmaceutical industry is the successful design of formulations for the administration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The performance of pharmaceutical formulations is ultimately determined by the atomic-level structure of the APIs. However, atomic-level structure determination of formulated APIs is challenging because of the low API loading within formulations that is often 10 weight percent or less and molecular interactions between the APIs and other components of the formulation. This project will enable the atomic-level characterization of formulated pharmaceuticals and solid APIs by first developing methods that improve SSNMR sensitivity and resolution. Second, these methods will be used to perform SSNMR spectroscopy experiments with isotopes such as 14N, 17O, 19F and 119Sn to access novel structural information that cannot be obtained by conventional spectroscopic methods or diffraction techniques. Graduate and undergraduate students participating in the research will learn how to perform NMR spectroscopy experiments, prepare pharmaceuticals and computationally model the atomic structures of APIs. The proposed resea

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2506026
- **Awardee organization:** Iowa State University (IA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** DQDBM7FGJPC5
- **PI:** Aaron J Rossini
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
- **Estimated total:** $492,183
- **Funds obligated:** $492,183
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2506026

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2506026, Structural Characterization of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Commercial Drug Products by Multi-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2506026. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NSF Awards dataset](/datasets/nsf-awards) · CC0 1.0*
