Cocrystalline Phase Research Articles

Cocrystalline Phases of Umbelliferone with Syndiotactic Polystyrene: A Route to Achieve Optical Brightening Films

Cocrystalline Phases of Umbelliferone with Syndiotactic Polystyrene: A Route to Achieve Optical Brightening Films

Vacuum-ultraviolet irradiation of pyridine:acetylene ices relevant to Titan astrochemistry.

Nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are important molecules for astrochemistry and prebiotic chemistry, as their occurrence spans from interstellar molecular clouds to planetary systems. Their formation has been previously explored in gas phase experiments, but the role of solid-state chemical reactions in their formation under cryogenic conditions remains elusive. Here, we explore the formation of NPAHs through vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation of pyridine:acetylene ices in amorphous and co-crystalline phases, with the aim to simulate conditions relevant to the interstellar medium and Titan's atmosphere. Our results show that the synthesis of ethynylpyridines from VUV-irradiated pyridine:acetylene amorphous ices is achievable at 18 K. In the co-crystal phase, photolysis at 110 K leads to the formation of NPAHs such as quinolizinium+ and precursors, reflecting a dynamical system under our conditions. In contrast, irradiation at 90 K under stable conditions did not produce volatile photoproducts. These results suggest that such chemical processes can occur in Titan's atmosphere and potentially in its stratosphere, where the co-condensation of these molecules can form composite ices. Concurrently, the formation of stable co-crystals can influence the depletion rates of pyridine, which suggests that these structures can be preserved and potentially delivered to Titan's surface. Our findings provide insights into the molecular diversity and chemical evolution of organic matter on Titan, crucial for future space exploration missions, such as the Dragonfly mission, which may uncover higher-order organics derived from pyridine precursors on Titan's surface.

Segregation of Benzoic Acid in Polymer Crystalline Cavities.

Benzoic acid (BA) and its derivatives are very attractive because of their pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, radical-regulating, antiviral, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antifungal. Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO) films exhibiting co-crystalline phases with BA were prepared and characterized by WAXD, FTIR and polarized FTIR measurements. The FTIR measurements clearly showed that BA was present mainly as a dimer in the crystalline channels of the ε form of sPS as well as in the α form of PPO, as generally occurs not only in the solid state but also in organic dilute solutions. BA was instead present as isolated molecules in the crystalline cavities of the δ form of sPS. In fact, the FTIR spectra of BA guest molecules exhibited vibrational peaks close to those of BA in its vapor phase. Hence, the nanoporous-crystalline δ form of sPS not only avoids additive aggregation but also leads to the separation of dimeric molecules and the segregation of monomeric BA.

Mix-and-Match Diols: Adjusting Self-Assembly of Micellar Phases in Choline Chloride Eutectics

The common Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) ‘ethaline’ (1:2 choline chloride:ethylene glycol) was examined here as a basis for the self-assembly of the surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB). A phase diagram was constructed, showing evidence for a L1 (micellar) phase, confirmed by tensiometry to have a room temperature critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 1.2 wt.%. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements indicate formation of interacting globular micelles with slightly smaller apparent radii than in water. The apparent mesophase/multiphase region was studied using SWAXS, demonstrating rich mesoscopic lyotropic liquid crystalline phase behaviour, with evidence for lamellar Lα peaks, alongside potential co-crystalline phases. We attempted to tailor the self-assembly by studying binary DES containing longer diols including 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, and 1,5-pentanediol, and ternary DES where the HBD component was a 1:1 ethylene glycol:diol mixture. However, synchrotron SAXS showed that only ternary ‘propethaline’ mixtures displayed signs of self-assembly and micellization, perhaps due to the reduction in calculated Gordon parameter, which decreases linearly with increasing alkyl chain length. Systematic differences were thus observed in the ability of the solvents to modulate assembly, from globular micelles in ChCl:EG, to weaker assembly in long-tail DES, and complete solubilisation in butaline and pentaline.

Polymorphism of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) oxide (PPO): Co-crystalline and nanoporous-crystalline phases

Relevant information on PPO crystallization, with particular emphasis on nanoporous crystalline (NC) and related co-crystalline (CC) forms, is reviewed. Preparation methods, structures, properties and possible applications of NC and CC samples are discussed. Reviewed results mainly refer to films (unoriented or with axial or planar orientations) but also to NC powders and NC aerogels. Particular attention is given to the impressive solubility and diffusivity of organic guests, which can be achieved for NC PPO samples. X-ray diffraction patterns and infrared linear dichroism, as collected for axially oriented NC films, indicate the presence of large diameter crystalline helices with intrahelical location of the guest molecules. The final section is mainly devoted to perspectives of basic and industrial research that are expected in the near future for CC and NC PPO samples. As for research studies, particularly suitable appear NC films with orientation of the crystalline empty channels perpendicular to the film plane ( c ⊥ orientation), mainly due to their fast guest sorption and good optical transparency.

Intrahelical empty channels of nanoporous-crystalline α and β forms of PPO

A linear dichroism study of vibrational peaks of amorphous and semi-crystalline axially stretched poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO) films shows an unusual behaviour of co-crystalline and nanoporous-crystalline (α and β form) phases. In fact, signs of dichroism for all vibrational peaks of α and β phases are opposite with respect to those observed for amorphous phases. This behaviour indicates the occurrence in PPO α and β forms of large polymer helices, whose thermodynamic stability can be rationalized by placement of guest molecules in intrahelical channels. A large diameter helix, with chain periodicity of 1.06 nm, is compatible with layer-line position in WAXD patterns of axially stretched α form films. The occurrence for both α and β NC forms of PPO of intrahelical empty channels, can rationalize the very high guest diffusivity of semi-crystalline PPO films, which becomes particularly high when crystalline helical axes are preferentially perpendicular to the film plane.

Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of cobalt: hcp-Co vs. fcc-Co

In spite of the numerous works devoted to studying the magnetoresistance of Co metal, very diverging results have been reported in the literature on the magnitude of the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) ratio of Co samples mostly without detailed structural characterization. Therefore, the main purpose of the present work was to establish if the crystal structure of Co has an effect on the AMR ratio. With the help of structural studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy, fully hcp-Co and predominantly fcc–Co polycrystalline foils were produced by electrodeposition and their magnetoresistance curves MR(H) were measured at room temperature in magnetic fields up to H = 8 kOe. The MR(H) curves indicated much lower saturation fields for fcc-Co than for hcp-Co, in good agreement with the significantly larger magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the hcp phase. These findings were supported also by the measured magnetization isotherms. The coercive field and MR(H) peak position data indicated a magnetically softer behavior of the fcc-Co phase than that of the hcp-Co phase, in agreement with literature findings. Finally, it was established that the AMR ratio is about +1.2 % for hcp-Co whereas it is about +1.9 % for the predominantly fcc-Co samples. By having an estimated volume fraction of the hcp-Co phase in the latter samples from the XRD studies, we could assess an AMR ratio of about 2.2 % for pure fcc-Co. It is the first time that the AMR ratio has been determined separately for the two crystalline phases of Co and the finding that AMR(fcc–Co) ≈ 1.8 AMR(hcp-Co) is a hitherto unknown result. Finally, our AMR results for the two phases of Co metal are discussed in the light of recent progress on the microscopic mechanisms of the AMR effect.

Molecular Features Behind Formation of α or β Co-Crystalline and Nanoporous-Crystalline Phases of PPO.

Guest molecular features determining the formation of α and β phases of poly(2-6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) oxide (PPO) are explored by collecting literature data and adding many new film preparations, both by solution casting and by guest sorption in amorphous films. Independently of the considered preparation method, the α-form is favored by the hydrophobic and bulky guest molecules, while the hydrophilic and small guest molecules favor the β-form. Furthermore, molecular modeling studies indicate that the β-form inducer guests establish stronger dispersive interactions with the PPO units than the α-form inducer guests. Thus, the achievement of co-crystalline (and derived nanoporous crystalline) α- and β-forms would result from differences in energy gain due to the host–guest interactions established at the local scale.

Nanoconfinement of a Pharmaceutical Cocrystal with Praziquantel in Mesoporous Silica: The Influence of the Solid Form on Dissolution Enhancement.

Nanoconfinement is a recent strategy to enhance solubility and dissolution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with poor biopharmaceutical properties. In this work, we combine the advantage of cocrystals of racemic praziquantel (PZQ) containing a water-soluble coformer (i.e., increased solubility and supersaturation) and its confinement in a mesoporous silica material (i.e., increased dissolution rate). Among various potential cocrystalline phases of PZQ with dicarboxylic acid coformers, the cocrystal with glutaric acid (PZQ-GLU) was selected and successfully loaded by the melting method into nanopores of SBA-15 (experimental pore size of 5.6 nm) as suggested by physical and spectroscopic characterization using various complementary techniques like N2 adsorption, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), solid-state NMR (ss-NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis. The PZQ-GLU phase confined in SBA-15 presents more mobility according to ss-NMR studies but still retains its cocrystal-like features in the IR spectra, and it also shows depression of the melting transition temperature in DSC. On the contrary, pristine PZQ loaded into SBA-15 was found only in the amorphous state, according to the aforementioned studies. This dissimilar behavior of the composites was attributed to the larger crystal lattice of PZQ over the PZQ-GLU cocrystal (3320.1 vs 1167.9 Å3) and to stronger intermolecular interactions between PZQ and GLU, facilitating the confinement of a more mobile solid-like phase in the constrained channels. Powder dissolution studies under extremely nonsink conditions (SI = 0.014) of the confined PZQ-GLU and amorphous PZQ phases embedded in mesoporous silica showed transient supersaturation behavior when dissolving in simulated gastric fluid (HCl pH 1.2 at 37 ± 0.5 °C) in a similar fashion to the bare cocrystal PZQ-GLU. A comparison of the area under the curve (AUC0-90min) of the dissolution profiles afforded a dissolution advantage of 2-fold (p < 0.05) of the new solid phases over pristine racemic PZQ after 90 min; under these conditions, the solubilized API reprecipitated as the recently discovered PZQ hemihydrate (PZQ-HH). In the presence of a cellulosic polymer, sustained solubilization of PZQ from composites SBA-15/PZQ or SBA-15/PZQ-GLU was observed, increasing AUC0-90min up to 5.1-fold in comparison to pristine PZQ. The combination of a confined solid phase in mesoporous silica and a methylcellulose polymer in the dissolution medium effectively maintained the drug solubilized during times significant to promote absorption. Finally, powder dissolution studies under intermediate nonsink conditions (SI = 1.99) showed a fast release profile from the nanoconfined PZQ-GLU phase in SBA-15, which reached rapid saturation (95% drug dissolved at 30 min); the amorphous PZQ composite and bare PZQ-GLU also displayed an immediate release of the API but at a lower rate (69% drug dissolved at 30 min). In all of these cases, a large dissolution advantage was observed from any of the novel solid phases over PZQ.

Axially oriented guest induced crystallization in syndiotactic polystyrene unstretched fibers

Guest-induced crystallization of amorphous s-PS fibers, although prepared with slow take-up speeds (e.g., 80 m/min) and in the absence of mechanical stretching, unexpectedly leads to high degrees of axial orientation (0.7 < fc < 0.8) of co-crystalline phases. Similar high degrees of axial orientation can be maintained after suitable guest removal procedures, leading to nanoporous-crystalline (NC) phases. High degrees of orientation are even maintained after high temperature (e.g., 200 °C) treatments leading to dense crystalline α phases, although this phase transition implies change of polymer conformation from helical to zig-zag planar. Hence, guest induced crystallization of amorphous s-PS fibers not only leads to NC forms (suitable for removal of organic pollutants from the environment) or to co-crystalline forms with active guests (e.g., suitable for antimicrobial release) but also lead, without stretching, to axial orientation. For the disordered NC form, fiber patterns are for the first time reported, showing only four diffraction peaks, which suggest the occurrence of a hexagonal packing of chain axes of s(2/1)2 polymer helices. The NC nature of this disordered crystalline form is clearly confirmed by tests of perchloroethylene uptake, from dilute aqueous solutions (500 ppb).

Synthesis and Characterization of a (-)-Epicatechin and Barbituric Acid Cocrystal: Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction and Vibrational Spectroscopic Studies.

The paper presents the contribution of the cocrystallization method in the physicochemical modification of catechins that exhibit low oral bioavailability. This was done to obtain cocrystals for two naturally occurring polyphenolic diastereoisomers (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin with commonly used coformers. Due to distinct crystallization behavior, only the (−)-epicatechin cocrystal with barbituric acid in a 1:1 stoichiometry was obtained. The cocrystal of (−)-epicatechin (EC) with barbituric acid (BTA) was prepared by the slow solvent-evaporation technique. The structure and intermolecular interactions were determined by X-ray crystallographic techniques. The analysis of packing and interactions in the crystal lattice revealed that molecules in the target cocrystal were packed into tapes, formed by the O–H···O type contacts between the (−)-epicatechin and coformer molecules. The EC molecules interact with the carboxyl group in the BTA coformer mainly by −OH groups from the benzene ring A. The cocrystalline phase constituents were also investigated in terms of Hirshfeld surfaces. The application of Raman spectroscopy confirmed the involvement of the C=O group in the formation of hydrogen bonds between the (−)-epicatechin and barbituric acid molecules. Additionally, the solubility studies of pure EC and the EC-BTA cocrystal exhibited minor enhancement of EC solubility in the buffer solution, and pH measurements confirmed a stable level of solubility for EC and its cocrystal.

High-throughput discovery of Hf promotion on the stabilisation of hcp Co and Fischer-Tropsch activity

A proxy-based high-throughput experimental approach was used to explore the stability and activity of Co-based Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis catalysts with different promoters on a variety of supports. The protocol is based on XRD estimation of the active phase polymorph, particle size and ratio of crystalline phases of Co to support. Sequential sample libraries enabled exploration of four Co loadings with five different promoters on six support materials. Catalysts stable to aging in syngas, i.e. displaying minimal change of particle size or active phase concentration, were evaluated under industrial conditions. This procedure identified SiC as a support that confers catalyst stability and that a combination of Ru and Hf promotes the stabilisation of hcp Co. Unsupported bulk samples of Co with appropriate amounts of Ru and Hf revealed that the formation of hcp Co is independent of the support. The hcp Co-containing catalyst afforded the highest catalytic activity and C5+ selectivity amongst the samples tested in this study, confirming the effectiveness of the proxy-based high-throughput method.

Control of Guest Thermal Release by Crystalline Host Orientation

Thermal release of guest molecules from poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO) films, exhibiting host–guest co-crystalline (CC) phases with orientation of their chain axes being preferentially...

Generation and physicochemical characterization of posaconazole cocrystals using Gas Antisolvent (GAS) and Supercritical Solvent (CSS) methods

Posaconazole (PSZ) is a BCS (biopharmaceutical classification system) Class II anti-fungal drug used to treat infections in immunocompromised patients. The work presented herein describes the generation of cocrystals of PSZ with 4-aminobenzoic acid (4AMB) using supercritical CO2 as an antisolvent in GAS (Gas Antisolvent) with acetonitrile, and as a solvent in CSS (Cocrystallization with Supercritical Solvent) methods. Cocrystals of PSZ-4AMB were obtained in a 2:3 stoichiometric ratio for the first time by GAS and CSS methods, with GAS producing higher-purity samples compared to CSS method. The work presented herein investigates the influence of critical processing variables using CO2 solvent and antisolvent crystallization methods with respect to the formation of cocrystals of PSZ-4AMB. A Design of Experiments (DoE) approach was performed to assess the outcome of PSZ-4AMB formation, impacted by processing variables such as pressure, temperature, and stirring rate using GAS and CSS methods. The resulting cocrystalline phase was identified using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The particle morphologies and size distributions were determined using scanning electron microscopy and automated static imaging, respectively.

Axial Orientation of Co-Crystalline Phases of Poly(2,6-Dimethyl-1,4-Phenylene)Oxide Films

Films exhibiting co-crystalline (CC) phases between a polymer host and low-molecular-mass guest molecules are relevant for many applications. As is usual for semi-crystalline polymers, axially oriented films can give relevant information on the crystalline structure, both by Wide Angle X-ray diffraction fiber patterns and by polarized Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Axially oriented CC phases of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO) with 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (mesitylene) can be simply obtained by the stretching of CC PPO films. In fact, due to the plasticization effect of this highly boiling guest, PPO orientation can occur in a stretching temperature range (170–175 °C) nearly 50 °C lower than that generally needed for PPO films (220–230 °C). This low stretching temperature range allows avoidance of polymer oxidation, as well as formation of the mesomorphic dense γ PPO phase. Axially oriented CC phases of PPO with toluene, i.e., with a more volatile guest, can be instead obtained by the stretching (in the same low temperature range: 170–175 °C) of CC PPO blend films with polystyrene.

Study of Possibility Physical Interactions Antimalarial Combination Drugs

Identification of solid state to investigate the possibility of physical interaction between Antimalarial Artemisinin Combination Treatment base Artesunate (AS) and Amodiaquine (AQ) by hot contact method Kofler, cold contact method (crystallization reaction) and binary phase diagram confirmation had been carried out. The results of hot contact method Kofler shown the formation a new crystalline habit as a long and thin needle on the contact zone (mixing zone) between AS and AQ. A different melting point was seen in its single component. Cold contact methods between two of supersaturated solution of component AS and AQ in methanol solvent also indicated the growth of crystal habit as similar as hot contact method Kofler. Confirmation by biner phase diagram shown the specific diagram for cocrystalline phase. Solid state interaction between AS and AQ was analysed by powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR (Fourier Transformed Infra Red) spectrophotometric, microscopic SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopic) and thermal DTA (Differential Thermal Analysis), TG-DSC (Thermal Gravimetry- Differential Scanning Calorimetry). Microscopic analysis by SEM showed significantly the change of habit and morphology of crystal to long and thin needle shaped. The difference of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) interferences peaks were observed in addition to PXRD interference peaks of each component and its physical mixtures that proved formation of cocrystalline phase. DSC Thermogram indicated a new endothermic peak corresponding to melting point of a new cocrystalline phase at temperature 160,4°C.

Axially Oriented Nanoporous Crystalline Phases of Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide

The aim of this paper is the achievement of films characterized by axially oriented nanoporous-crystalline (NC) and co-crystalline (CC) phases of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO). Axiall...

Improved Solubility and Dissolution Rates in Novel Multicomponent Crystals of Piperine with Succinic Acid

The objectives of this study were to prepare and characterize a novel piperine–succinic acid multicomponent crystal phase and to evaluate the improvement in the solubility and dissolution rate of piperine when prepared in the multicomponent crystal formation. The solid-state characterization of the novel multicomponent crystal was performed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Solubility and dissolution rate profiles were evaluated in distilled water. The physical stability was evaluated under high relative humidity (75% and 100% RH). The determination of the single crystal X-ray diffraction structure revealed that this novel multicomponent crystal was a cocrystalline phase of piperine–succinic acid (2:1 molar ratio). The differential scanning calorimetry thermogram of the cocrystal showed a single and sharp endothermic peak at 110.49 °C. The cocrystal resulted in greater solubility and a faster dissolution rate of piperine than intact piperine. This improvement was a result of the formation of a channel structure in the cocrystal. In addition, the cocrystal was stable under a humid condition.

Synthesis and Structures of Bis- and Tris-(triphenylarsine)gold(I) Iodides

The title compounds [(Ph3As)2AuI] and [(Ph3As)3AuI] have been crystallized from equimolar solutions of Bu4NAuI2 and AsPh3 in dimethylformamide and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. [(Ph3As)2AuI] crystallizes in space group C2/c, Z 4, and is isomorphous with other [(Ph3E)2MX] (MX=coinage metal(i) salt) arrays, with the Au–I bond being disposed on a crystallographic 2-axis: Au–I, As 2.7008(2), 2.4337(2) Å, As–Au–As, I 125.736(8)°, 117.132(4)° (153K). [(Ph3As)3AuI] crystallizes as a triclinic phase in space group , Z 4, and is isomorphous with [(Ph3Sb)3CuI] and [(Ph3P)3AgI]: Au–As 2.4847–2.5049(10), Au–I 2.8518(8), 2.8597(7) Å with As–Au–As, I 109.67(3)–115.97(3)°, 101.33(2)–106.85(3)°. A second ‘[(Ph3As)3AuI]’ product was obtained as a co-crystalline phase in space group P21/n containing [(Ph3As)3AuI], and [(Ph3As)2AuI] accompanied by an additional unbound Ph3As molecule, i.e. [(Ph3As)3AuI]·[(Ph3As)2AuI·Ph3As], with structural parameters closely similar to those for the corresponding separate [(Ph3As)3AuI] and [(Ph3As)2AuI] complexes described above. Comparison of the bond lengths for these and related complexes show that they are generally consistent with the ‘gold is smaller than silver’ phenomenon caused by relativistic orbital contraction effects in gold, but the results also show that the magnitude of this effect is dependent on the nature of the metal–ligand bonds involved, and on changes in the metal coordination environment, which can in some circumstances yield trends in which the effect on particular bonds is partially masked or even reversed.

Structural and Computational Insights into Cocrystal Interactions: A Case on Cocrystals of Antipyrine and Aminophenazone

This study aimed to gain insight into cocrystal interactions through solid-state characterization and theoretical computation. We formulated four novel cocrystalline phases of antipyrine (AN) and a...