Nikolay Tumanov

Pressure-induced phase transitions in L-alanine, revisited

The effect of pressure on L-alanine has been studied by X-ray powder diffraction (up to 12.3 GPa), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy (up to approximately 6 GPa). No structural phase transitions have been observed. At approximately 2 GPa the cell parameters a and b become accidentally equal to each other, but without a change in space-group symmetry. Neither of two transitions reported by others (to a tetragonal phase at approximately 2 GPa and to a monoclinic phase at approximately 9 GPa) was observed. The changes in cell parameters were continuous up to the highest measured pressures and the cells remained orthorhombic. Some important changes in the intermolecular interactions occur, which also manifest themselves in the Raman spectra. Two new orthorhombic phases could be crystallized from a MeOH/EtOH/H(2)O pressure-transmitting mixture in the pressure range 0.8-4.7 GPa, but only if the sample was kept at these pressures for at least 1-2 d. The new phases converted back to L-alanine on decompression. Judging from the Raman spectra and cell parameters, the new phases are most probably not L-alanine but its solvates.

Phase transitions in the crystals of L- and DL-cysteine on cooling: the role of the hydrogen-bond distortions and the side-chain motions. 2. DL-cysteine.

Structural strain and a first-order phase transition in the crystalline DL-cysteine on cooling and on reverse heating were followed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The transition is reversible and has a large hysteresis (over 100 K). The temperature at which the transition is observed depends strongly on the cooling/heating rate. The phase transition is accompanied by crystal fragmentation. The low-temperature phase could be obtained not only as a result of the solid-state transformation in situ as a polycrystalline sample (with strong preferred orientation, or without it, depending on the preparative technique), but also (using an original crystallization technique) as a single crystal of the quality suitable for structural analysis. For the first time, the crystal structure of the low-temperature phase was solved independently by powder and by single-crystal diffraction techniques. The spectral changes were correlated with the precise diffraction data on the intramolecular conformations and the intermolecular hydrogen bonding before and after the phase transition. The role of the distortion of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds and of the motions of the -CH(2)SH side chains in the phase transition is discussed in a comparison with the low-temperature phase transition in L-cysteine, which is of a different type and preserves the single crystals intact (Kolesov et al. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2008, 112 (40), 12827-12839).

Low temperature/high pressure polymorphism in DL-cysteine

We compare the response of the crystalline DL-cysteine to cooling and to increasing pressure. The structure undergoes a low-temperature phase transition into an isosymmetric polymorph, DL-cysteine-II, with the conformation of zwitterion changing from gauche− to gauche+. The first pressure-induced transition at 0.1 GPa (the lowest pressure reported for a phase transition in a crystalline amino acid thus far) gives the same polymorph. Further compression of DL-cysteine-II proceeds differently on cooling and with increasing hydrostatic pressure. DL-cysteine-II is preserved down to 3 K, but undergoes phase transitions on compression at about 1.55 GPa, and 6.20 GPa. The changes in the hydrogen bond network preceding the phase transition in DL-cysteine-II in the range 0.25–0.85 GPa differ from those observed on cooling the same structure, but resemble those preceding pressure-induced phase transitions in β- and γ-glycine.

In Situ Diffraction Study of Catalytic Hydrogenation of VO2: Stable Phases and Origins of Metallicity

Controlling electronic population through chemical doping is one way to tip the balance between competing phases in materials with strong electronic correlations. Vanadium dioxide exhibits a first-order phase transition at around 338 K between a high-temperature, tetragonal, metallic state (T) and a low-temperature, monoclinic, insulating state (M1), driven by electron-electron and electron-lattice interactions. Intercalation of VO2 with atomic hydrogen has been demonstrated, with evidence that this doping suppresses the transition. However, the detailed effects of intercalated H on the crystal and electronic structure of the resulting hydride have not been previously reported. Here we present synchrotron and neutron diffraction studies of this material system, mapping out the structural phase diagram as a function of temperature and hydrogen content. In addition to the original T and M1 phases, we find two orthorhombic phases, O1 and O2, which are stabilized at higher hydrogen content. We present density functional calculations that confirm the metallicity of these states and discuss the physical basis by which hydrogen stabilizes conducting phases, in the context of the metal-insulator transition.

X‐ray diffraction and Raman study of dl‐alanine at high pressure: revision of phase transitions

The effect of pressure on DL-alanine has been studied by X-ray powder diffraction (up to 8.3 GPa), single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy (up to ~6 GPa). No structural phase transitions have been observed. At ~1.5-2 GPa, cell parameters b and c become accidentally equal to each other, but the space-group symmetry does not change. There is no phase transition between 1.7 and 2.3 GPa, contrary to what has been reported earlier [Belo et al. (2010). Vibr. Spectrosc. 54, 107-111]. The presence of the second phase transition, which was claimed to appear within the pressure range from 6.0 to 7.3 GPa (Belo et al., 2010), is also argued. The changes in the Raman spectra have been shown to be continuous in all the pressure ranges studied.

Are meloxicam dimers really the structure-forming units in the ‘meloxicam–carboxylic acid’ co-crystals family? Relation between crystal structures and dissolution behaviour

We compare the packing of meloxicam in all the meloxicam-containing crystal structures known up to now, with a special emphasis on meloxicam and its co-crystals with carboxylic acids, two of which, with adipic and terephthalic acids, have not been reported before. We argue that it is not the meloxicam dimers, as was claimed in Cheney et al., Cryst. Growth Des. 2010, 10, 4401–4413, but a fragment containing two molecules of meloxicam linked via a carboxylic acid molecule that is the primary structure-forming element in all the known 2 : 1 meloxicam : carboxylic acid co-crystals. Meloxicam molecules form H-bonded dimers in the crystals of meloxicam, but these dimers are no longer present in any of the known meloxicam co-crystals. The molecules of meloxicam in some of its co-crystal structures can be occasionally close to each other as a consequence of a certain steric relation defined by the size of the carboxylic acid molecules. However, these molecular pairs termed “dimers” by Cheney et al. are different from the dimers in the crystals of meloxicam and can be held together by weak H-bonds only (if any), therefore they can hardly be considered as a structure-forming unit. An improved dissolution of meloxicam co-crystals as compared to poorly soluble meloxicam is supposed to be related to the presence of meloxicam dimers linked by relatively strong H-bonds in the crystals of meloxicam and to the absence of these dimers in its co-crystals.

β-Alanine under pressure: towards understanding the nature of phase transitions

We report the unusual behavior of β-alanine under pressure. Depending on the protocol with which pressure was increased, the crystals of β-alanine I after transition to phase II either transformed into monoclinic phase V at approximately 6 GPa or remained orthorhombic at least up to 8 GPa in phase II with a molecular packing very similar to that of phase I.

Structural insight into cocrystallization with zwitterionic co-formers: cocrystals of S-naproxen

The screening of S-naproxen, S-oxiracetam, S-diprophylline, and levetiracetam with a series of essential and nonessential amino acid co-formers has yielded cocrystals only for S-naproxen, thus showing that amino acids seem to have a preference for forming cocrystals with compounds containing a carboxyl group. Herein, we report the crystal structures of four S-naproxen cocrystals: S-naproxen/L-alanine, S-naproxen/D-alanine, S-naproxen/D-tyrosine, and S-naproxen/D-tryptophan monohydrate. All of the described cocrystals show similar structural motifs, i.e., amino acids form head-to-tail chains with strong charge-assisted hydrogen bonding, which are similar to those found in the individual amino acids, with S-naproxen molecules grafted on them. According to the systematic search of the Cambridge Structural Database for other cocrystals that involve zwitterionic co-formers, charge-assisted hydrogen bonds between amino acid molecules play an essential role, being present in the majority of structures. The results of this work provide an insight into structural aspects of cocrystallization with zwitterionic co-formers, offer new possibilities for S-naproxen pharmaceutical formulations, and can serve as guidelines when developing new cocrystals involving zwitterionic co-formers.

Two new structures in the glycine–oxalic acid system

Glycinium semi-oxalate-II, C(2)H(6)NO(2)(+).C(2)HO(4)(-), (A), and diglycinium oxalate methanol disolvate, 2C(2)H(6)NO(2)(+).C(2)O(4)(2-).2CH(3)OH, (B), are new examples in the glycine-oxalic acid family. (A) is a new polymorph of the known glycinium semi-oxalate salt, (C). Compounds (A) and (C) have a similar packing of the semi-oxalate monoanions with respect to the glycinium cations, but in (A) the two glycinium cations and the two semi-oxalate anions in the asymmetric unit are non-equivalent, and the binding of the glycinium cations to each other is radically different. Based on this difference, one can expect that, although the two forms grow concomitantly from the same batch, a transformation between (A) and (C) in the solid state should be difficult. In (B), two glycinium cations and an oxalate anion, which sits across a centre of inversion, are linked via strong short O-H...O hydrogen bonds to form the main structural fragment, similar to that in diglycinium oxalate, (D). Methanol solvent molecules are embedded between the glycinium cations of neighbouring fragments. These fragments form a three-dimensional network via N-H...O hydrogen bonds. Salts (B) and (D) can be obtained from the same solution by, respectively, slow or rapid antisolvent crystallization.

Facile synthesis of anhydrous alkaline earth metal dodecaborates MB12H12 (M = Mg, Ca) from M(BH4)2.

Metal dodecaborates M2/nB12H12 are among the dehydrogenation intermediates of metal borohydrides M(BH4)n with a high hydrogen density of approximately 10 mass%, the latter is a potential hydrogen storage material. There is therefore a great need to synthesize anhydrous M2/nB12H12 in order to investigate the thermal decomposition of M2/nB12H12 and to understand its role in the dehydrogenation and rehydrogenation of M(BH4)n. In this work, anhydrous alkaline earth metal dodecaborates MB12H12 (M = Mg, Ca) have been successfully synthesized by sintering M(BH4)2 (M = Mg, Ca) and B10H14 in a stoichiometric molar ratio of 1 : 1. Thermal decomposition of MB12H12 shows multistep pathways with the formation of H-deficient monomers MB12H12-x containing icosahedral B12 skeletons and is followed by the formation of (MByHz)n polymers. Comparison of the thermal decomposition of MB12H12 and M(BH4)2 suggests different behaviours of the anhydrous MB12H12 and those formed from the decomposition of M(BH4)n.