Béatrice Nicolaï

Overall Monotropic Behavior of a Metastable Phase of Biclotymol, 2,2′-Methylenebis(4-Chloro-3-Methyl-Isopropylphenol), Inferred From Experimental and Topological Construction of the Related P-T State Diagram

The melt from the usual monoclinic phase (Phase I) of biclotymol (T(fusI) = 400.5 +/- 1.0 K, Delta(fus)H(I) = 36.6 +/- 0.9 kJ mol(-1)) recrystallizes into another phase, Phase II, that melts at T(fusII) = 373.8 +/- 0.2 K (Delta(fus)H(II) = 28.8 +/- 1.0 kJ mol(-1)). The transformation of Phase II into Phase I is found to be exothermic upon heating either as a direct process at 363 K or through a melting-recrystallization process (II --> liquid --> I). The melting curves, obtained from differential thermal analyses at various pressures ranging from 0 to 85 MPa, diverge as the pressure increases ((dP/dT)(fusI) = 2.54 +/- 0.07 MPa K(-1), (dP/dT)(fusII) = 5.14 +/- 0.85 MPa K(-1)). A topological P-T diagram with no stable phase region for Phase II, and similar to the 4th case of the P-T state diagrams formerly published by Bakhuis Roozeboom, is drawn, thus illustrating the overall monotropic behavior of Phase II.

Dimorphism of the prodrug l‐tyrosine ethyl ester: Pressure–temperature state diagram and crystal structure of phase II

Polymorphism is important in the field of solid-state behavior of drug molecules because of the continuous drive for complete control over drug properties. By comparing different structures of a series of L-tyrosine alkyl esters, it became apparent that the ethyl ester possesses dimorphism. Its structure was determined by powder diffraction and verified by density functional theory calculations; it is orthorhombic, P2(1) 2(1) 2(1) with a = 12.8679(8) Å, b = 14.7345(7) Å, c = 5.8333 (4) Å, V = 1106.01(11) Å, and Z = 4. The density of phase II is in line with other tyrosine alkyl esters and its conformation is similar to that of l-tyrosine methyl ester. The hydrogen bonds exhibit similar geometries for phase I and phase II, but the H-bonds in phase I are stronger. The solid II-solid I transition temperature is heating-rate dependent; it levels off at heating rates below 0.5 K min(-1), leading to a transition temperature of 306 ± 4 K. Application of the Clapeyron equation in combination with calorimetric and X-ray data has led to a topological diagram providing the relative stabilities of the two solid phases as a function of pressure and temperature; phase II is stable under ambient conditions.

The origin and temperature dependence of the single particle, methyl-group rotational potential in acetic acid

Abstract Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is used to obtain a direct measurement of the tunnel frequency of the methyl groups at 2 K in acetic acid ( ν 0 = 1.52 μ eV) and its temperature dependence up to 38 K. Corresponding measurements of the libration frequency up to 90 K are also reported. In conjunction with a new 2 K crystal-structure determination, a recently published method for calculating rotational potentials of methyl groups from crystal structures is re-examined. Crystal structures at four different temperatures, and the improved calculation, are used to predict the temperature dependence of the rotational potential correctly.

Crystal structure and low-temperature methyl-group dynamics of cobalt and nickel acetates

The crystal structures of cobalt and nickel acetate tetrahydrate have been determined at room-temperature and liquid-helium temperature by neutron powder diffraction of the fully deuterated salts. Molecular mechanics and ab initio methods based on these structural results have then been used to calculate the rotational potentials experienced by the methyl groups. We have also used inelastic neutron scattering to measure the rotational potential via the rotational tunneling spectrum of the methyl groups, and this has enabled us to compare different methods for the calculation of partial charges in these ionic compounds. Good agreement between the observables and calculations has been obtained for both compounds when ab initio methods are used to recalculate partial charges at every step of the methyl rotation.

Uniaxial negative thermal expansion in crystals of tienoxolol

The thermal expansion of tienoxolol has been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction up to its melting temperature. The data indicate that the expansion is anisotropic and even negative in one direction of the unit cell. The supramolecular structure formed by hydrogen-bonds reflects that of a trellis, which explains the observed behavior of tienoxolol crystals.

An Integrated View of the Influence of Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity on the Stability of Trimorphic Cysteamine Hydrochloride

Understanding the phase behavior of pharmaceuticals is important for dosage form development and regulatory requirements, in particular after the incident with ritonavir. In the present paper, a comprehensive study of the solid-state phase behavior of cysteamine hydrochloride used in the treatment of nephropathic cystinosis and recently granted orphan designation by the European Commission is presented employing (high-pressure) calorimetry, water vapor sorption, and X-ray diffraction as a function of temperature. A new crystal form (I2/a, form III) has been discovered, and its structure has been solved by X-ray powder diffraction, while two other crystalline forms are already known. The relative thermodynamic stabilities of the commercial form I and of the newly discovered form III have been established; they possess an overall enantiotropic phase relationship, with form I stable at room temperature and form III stable above 37 °C. Its melting temperature was found at 67.3 ± 0.5 °C. Cysteamine hydrochloride is hygroscopic and immediately forms a concentrated saturated solution in water with a surprisingly high concentration of 47.5 mol % above a relative humidity of 35%. No hydrate has been observed. A temperature-composition phase diagram is presented that has been obtained with the unary pressure-temperature phase diagram, measurements, and calculations. For development, form I would be the best form to use in any solid dosage form, which should be thoroughly protected against humidity.

Crystal structure and solid-state studies of aged samples of tienoxolol, an API designed against hypertension

Aging of drug molecules is generally studied following regulatory procedures, i.e. under forced conditions and for relatively limited storage time; therefore naturally aged samples are rare and provide scientific reference data beyond regulatory considerations. Tienoxolol was studied after 25 years of storage in the dark under ambient conditions. About 86% of the samples still consisted of tienoxolol and the main impurity (13%) was caused by the hydrolysis of the ester moiety. Protection from humidity is therefore important. Other sensitive groups containing nitrogen and sulfur appear to be quite stable with less than 0.8% conversion over 25 years. In addition, the crystal structure has been solved. Tienoxolol orange needles were found to crystallize in the orthorhombic non-centrosymmetric space group Iba2, indicating that the crystal is a racemic compound. The unit cell parameters at room temperature are a=10.069(5)Å, b=45.831(10)Å, and c=9.822(5)Å and the unit cell volume is 4533(3)Å(3) with Z=8.

Thermodynamics by synchrotron X-ray diffraction: phase relationships and crystal structure of L-tyrosine ethyl ester form III

In the case of small organic molecules, phase behaviour, which is important for pharmaceutical applications, is often only studied as a function of temperature. However, for a full thermodynamic description, not only the temperature but also the pressure should be taken into account, because pressure and temperature are the two characteristic variables for the Gibbs energy. The commercial form of L-tyrosine ethyl ester has been studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction while subjected to different pressures and temperatures. At room temperature, it turns into a new previously unknown form around 0.45 GPa. The structure has been solved with an orthorhombic unit cell, space group P212121, with parameters a = 12.655(4) A, b = 16.057(4) A, c = 5.2046(12) A, and V = 1057.6(5) A3 at T = 323 K and P = 0.58 GPa. The enthalpy of the transition from the commercial form to the new form could be estimated from the slope of the transition obtained from the synchrotron diffraction data. In addition, the topological pressure–temperature phase diagram has been constructed involving the two solid phases, the liquid and the vapour phase. The solid phases are enantiotropic under low pressure, but the system becomes monotropic at high pressure with the new solid phase being the only stable one.

Density functional theory for the calculations of the rotational potentials of methyl groups

The rotational dynamics of methyl groups in 2,6 dimethylpyrazine and in cobalt and nickel acetates have been studied by neutron scattering and a combination of ab initio and empirical calculations. These results and the precision of the method are compared to those obtained by DFT calculations in each case. It has been shown that DFT gave excellent agreement with observables for organic molecules. We determined the significant parameter in the evaluation of the potential in ionic metal-containing systems.

Differentiating amorphous mixtures of cefuroxime axetil and copovidone by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry.

The amorphous, molecular solid dispersion of cefuroxime axetil and copovidone with the mass ratio 71/29 is compared to its pure components in the amorphous state and to an amorphous mechanical mixture with the same mass ratio. Calorimetric studies demonstrate that all these materials are vitreous. By using X-ray diffraction profiles, a clear difference can be observed between the local order of the solid dispersion and that of the mechanical mixture. More generally, it is shown how the presence or absence of additivity in the diffraction data can be used to distinguish between different amorphous mixtures.