Nucleation and growth kinetics of biochemicals measured at high supersaturations

Abstract

A grid mixer device (characteristic micromixing time < 3 ms) was successfully used to measure both nucleation and growth kinetics of lovastatin in 60 vol% methanol and asparagine monohydrate in 50 vol% 2-propanol at 23°C at high supersaturations but in the absence of mixing limitations. The supersaturation ratios investigated were in the range 1.25–8.8 for the lovastatin system and 1.17–4.1 for the asparagine system. When plotted according to primary nucleation theory, the induction time and nucleation rate measurements for both systems exhibited a homogeneous nucleation region at high supersaturations and a heterogeneous nucleation region at low supersaturations. The values of interfacial free energy extracted from these measurements for lovastatin (1.4–1.6 mJ/m 2) and asparagine (4.5–6.1 mJ/m 2) were an order-of-magnitude lower than those for inorganic salts reflecting the weaker intermolecular bonding in such biochemical solutes. The measured crystal growth rates for both solutes over the entire range of supersaturation could be represented with a power law dependence on chemical potential driving force. The kinetic orders of crystal growth were found to be 6.7 and 2.9 for lovastatin and asparagine, respectively. These unusually high kinetic orders could be represented by a polynuclear surface nucleation growth mechanism. The activation energy for the growth of lovastatin was measured as 280 kJ/mol.