Franziska Fischer

Direct In Situ Investigation of Milling Reactions Using Combined X‐ray Diffraction and Raman Spectroscopy

The combination of two analytical methods including time-resolved in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy provides a new opportunity for a detailed analysis of the key mechanisms of milling reactions. To prove the general applicability of our setup, we investigated the mechanochemical synthesis of four archetypical model compounds, ranging from 3D frameworks through layered structures to organic molecular compounds. The reaction mechanism for each model compound could be elucidated. The results clearly show the unique advantage of the combination of XRD and Raman spectroscopy because of the different information content and dynamic range of both individual methods. The specific combination allows to study milling processes comprehensively on the level of the molecular and crystalline structures and thus obtaining reliable data for mechanistic studies.

Synthesis, structure determination, and formation of a theobromine:oxalic acid 2:1 cocrystal†

The structure and the formation pathway of a new theobromine:oxalic acid (2:1) cocrystal are presented. The cocrystal was synthesised mechanochemically and its structure was solved based on the powder X-ray data. The mechanochemical synthesis of this model compound was studied in situ using synchrotron XRD. Based on the XRD data details of the formation mechanism were obtained. The formation can be described as a self-accelerated (‘liquid like’) process from a highly activated species.

Evaluation of the formation pathways of cocrystal polymorphs in liquid-assisted syntheses

The synthesis of the polymorphic cocrystal caffeine:anthranilic acid was investigated to obtain a better understanding of the processes leading to the formation of different polymorphic forms. In the case of these cocrystal polymorphs synthesized by liquid-assisted grinding a distinct influence of the dipole moment of the solvent was found. A pre-coordination between the solvent molecules and the caffeine:anthranilic acid cocrystal could be identified in the formation of form II. In the case of form II the solvent can be regarded as a catalyst. The formation pathway of each polymorph was evaluated using synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Cadmium phenylphosphonates: preparation, characterisation and in situ investigation

The crystalline cadmium phenylphosphonates Cd(O3PPh)·H2O (1), Cd(HO3PPh)2 (2), and Cd(HO3PPh)2(H2O3PPh) (3) can be synthesized via solid state reactions by grinding together cadmium acetate with the respective equivalents of phenylphosphonic acid. Phosphonates (2) and (3) have not been obtained via any other synthesis method so far. The determination of the crystal structure of the new compounds (2) and (3) based on powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data is reported. The milling reactions were investigated using in situ synchrotron PXRD. Based on these data, an identification of intermediates and a detailed analysis of the underlying mechanisms were possible.

Survival of the Fittest: Competitive Co-crystal Reactions in the Ball Mill

The driving forces triggering the formation of co-crystals under milling conditions were investigated by using a set of multicomponent competitive milling reactions. In these reactions, different active pharmaceutical ingredients were ground together with a further compound acting as coformer. The study was based on new co-crystals including the coformer anthranilic acid. The results of the competitive milling reactions indicate that the formation of co-crystals driven by intermolecular recognition are influenced and inhibited by kinetic aspects including the formation of intermediates and the stability of the reactants.

Mechanochemical Knoevenagel condensation investigated in situ

The mechanochemical Knoevenagel condensation of malononitrile with p-nitrobenzaldehyde was studied in situ using a tandem approach. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were combined to yield time-resolved information on the milling process. Under solvent-free conditions, the reaction leads to a quantitative conversion to p-nitrobenzylidenemalononitrile within 50 minutes. The in situ data indicate that the process is fast and proceeds under a direct conversion. After stopping the milling process, the reaction continues until complete conversion. The continuous and the stopped milling process both result in crystalline products suitable for single crystal X-ray diffraction.

The effect of the ball to reactant ratio on mechanochemical reaction times studied by in situ PXRD

The effect of the reactant powder mass on reaction times for the mechanochemical formation of a soft matter model system was studied by in situ PXRD. The syntheses were performed at a constant ball mass in a shaker mill with and without glassy SiO2 as an inert additive. Reaction times decreased with the increase of the ball to reactant ratio (BRR). The kinetic influence of the SiO2 powder was excluded. The decrease in the reaction time with decreasing mass of reactants was related to the rise in the stress energy transferred to the powder by a higher ball impact. The BRR had no effect on the induction time. But the product conversion was accelerated by raising the BRR. While a certain temperature is needed for the activation of reactants in the induction phase, the conversion of soft matter reactants is rather controlled by impact than temperature.

The challenging case of the theophylline-benzamide cocrystal.

Theophylline has been used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the treatment of pulmonary diseases, but due to its low water solubility reveals very poor bioavailability. Based on its different hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor groups, theophylline is an ideal candidate for the formation of cocrystals. The crystal structure of the 1:1 benzamide cocrystal of theophylline, C7H8N4O2·C7H7NO, was determined from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P41 with four independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The molecules form a hunters fence packing. The crystal structure was confirmed by dispersion-corrected DFT calculations. The possibility of salt formation was excluded by the results of Raman and (1)H solid-state NMR spectroscopic analyses.

Mechanochemically Induced Conversion of Crystalline Benzamide Polymorphs by Seeding

Benzamide has been known for its polymorphism for almost 200 years. Three polymorphic forms are described. To date, it was only possible to crystallize a metastable form in a mixture together with the thermodynamically most stable form I. A complete transformation of form I into the metastable form III by mechanochemical treatment has been achieved. Catalytic amounts of nicotinamide seeds were used to activate the conversion by mechanochemical seeding. NMR experiments indicated that the nicotinamide molecules were incorporated statistically in the crystal lattice of benzamide form III during the conversion. The transformation pathway was evaluated using in situ powder X-ray diffraction.

Exploring Polymorphism and Stoichiometric Diversity in Naproxen/Proline Cocrystals

We present naproxen/proline cocrystals discovered when combining enantiopure and racemic naproxen and proline. Using liquid-assisted grinding as the main method to explore the variety of crystal forms in this system, we found 17 cocrystals, of which the structures of only four of them were previously known. The naproxen/proline system exhibited multiple polymorphs of 1 : 1 stoichiometry as well as more rare cocrystals with 1 : 2 and 2 : 3 stoichiometries, two cocrystal hydrates and one cocrystal solvate. In situ ball-milling, used to monitor liquid-assisted grinding reactions, revealed that the solvent dictates the reaction intermediates even if the final reaction product stays the same. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data collected in situ upon heating allowed us to monitor directly the phase changes upon heating and gave access to pure diffraction patterns of several cocrystals, thus enabling their structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction data; this method also confirmed the formation of a conglomerate in the RS-naproxen/DL-proline system. Proline in cocrystals kept its ability to form charge-assisted head-to-tail N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds, typical of pure crystalline amino acids, thus increasing the percentage of strong charge-assisted interactions in the structure and consequently providing some of the cocrystals with higher melting points as compared to pure naproxen. The majority of drugs are chiral, and hence, these data are of importance to the pharmaceutical industry as they provide insight into the challenges of chiral cocrystallization.