Which of the following are solvents used when making elixirs?

• A. Water, Alcohol, Glycerin, and Propylene Glycol
• B. Water, Acetone
• C. Ethanol only
• D. Glycerin only

Answer: (A)

Elixirs are hydroalcoholic oral solutions designed to dissolve a broad range of drug substances while remaining palatable. The solvents commonly used to achieve this versatile medium are water, ethanol (alcohol), glycerin, and propylene glycol. Water acts as a universal solvent for water-soluble components. Ethanol provides solubility for many organic compounds that water cannot dissolve well and helps create the hydroalcoholic environment essential to elixirs. Glycerin serves as a sweet-tasting, viscous co-solvent that also acts as a humectant, helping dissolve certain solutes that water and ethanol alone may not, while improving mouthfeel. Propylene glycol is another co-solvent with good miscibility with both water and ethanol and can aid solubility for additional substances, also contributing to viscosity and taste masking.

Acetone, while a solvent in some contexts, is not used in finished oral elixirs due to toxicity concerns and safety issues with ingestion. Using only a single solvent would limit the range of substances that can be dissolved and formulated, whereas the combination of water, alcohol, glycerin, and propylene glycol provides a flexible solvent system suitable for many active ingredients.