The Crystallization of Glycine Polymorphs from Emulsions, Microemulsions, and Lamellar Phases

Abstract

This paper explores the crystallization of glycine from aqueous solution within a variety of colloidal systems in which the dimension of the crystallization environment varies from micrometers to nanometers. The study focuses on the polymorphic outcome of crystallization experiments and the extent to which crystal size can be controlled. The appearance of the β and γ polymorphic forms is found to be related to the organization and functionality of the surfactants utilized as well as the supersaturation. Overall, it is noted that while macroemulsions may be used to generate particulates of controlled size, crystal growth in microemulsion and lamellar phases is not restricted to the dimensions of the aqueous domains.