Impurity incorporation in solution crystallization: diagnosis, prevention, and control

This work highlights recent advances in the diagnosis, prevention, and control of impurity incorporation during solution crystallization.

Revealing the early stages of carbamazepine crystallization by cryoTEM and 3D electron diffraction

Time-resolved carbamazepine crystallization from wet ethanol has been monitored using a combination of cryoTEM and 3D electron diffraction. Carbamazepine is shown to crystallize exclusively as a dihydrate after 180 s. When the timescale was reduced to 30 s, three further polymorphs could be identified. At 20 s, the development of early stage carbamazepine dihydrate was observed through phase separation. This work reveals two possible crystallization pathways present in this active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Potential Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Response Facilitated by Intramolecular Charge Transfer in a Simple Schiff Base Molecule: Experimental and Theoretical Exploration

A Schiff base, namely, 4-[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene) amino] benzoic acid (L1), has been synthesized by the condensation reaction. It has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , UV-vis spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and DFT/B3LYP calculations. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that L1 exists in the zwitterionic (N-H···...O) form. The supramolecular interactions were investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis. In addition, third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of L1 were also investigated. The nonlinear refractive index (n2), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), and the third-order NLO susceptibility (χ(3)) have been estimated at different concentrations and at different laser powers using close and openaperture Z-scan data. The values of the parameters were found to be varying almost linearly with concentration and power. The present study revealed the utility of the material for various optoelectronic devices such as optical switches, optical data storage devices, and optical sensors. The optical limiting study reveals that this material can also be exploited as an instrument protector from unwanted laser illumination. Furthermore, the NLO behavior of L1 has also been studied by B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) results.

The guest polymer effect on the dissolution of drug–polymer crystalline inclusion complexes

A drug–polymer crystalline inclusion complex (IC) is a novel solid form of drug, in which drug molecules form parallel channels, and linear polymer chains reside in these channels. In this study, we used carbamazepine (CBZ) as a model drug, and directly studied the effect of different types of guest polymers on the dissolution properties of drug–polymer ICs. We successfully prepared ICs formed from CBZ with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), respectively, and confirmed that these two drug–polymer ICs both had the same channel-type crystal structure as CBZ form II. During the dissolution test, CBZ–PEG IC showed a faster dissolution rate compared to CBZ form II under both sink and non-sink conditions. CBZ–PCL IC was confirmed to be more stable in aqueous medium, as the guest polymer PCL delayed its transformation to less-soluble crystals during dissolution.

Guest polymers have significant influence on the dissolution of drug–polymer inclusion complex crystals.

Preferential intermolecular interactions in a racemic mixture of amino acid Schiff base, conformational structures in solid state, and DFT studies

In this work, we report the green synthesis of a Shiff base [N-(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene)-l-phenylalanine (1)] derived from an α-amino acid through an ultrasound-assisted synthesis method with excellent chemical yield in a short period of time.

A Structured Approach To Cope with Impurities during Industrial Crystallization Development

The perfect separation with optimal productivity, yield, and purity is very difficult to achieve. Despite its high selectivity, in crystallization unwanted impurities routinely contaminate a crystallization product. Awareness of the mechanism by which the impurity incorporates is key to understanding how to achieve crystals of higher purity. Here, we present a general workflow which can rapidly identify the mechanism of impurity incorporation responsible for poor impurity rejection during a crystallization. A series of four general experiments using standard laboratory instrumentation is required for successful discrimination between incorporation mechanisms. The workflow is demonstrated using four examples of active pharmaceutical ingredients contaminated with structurally related organic impurities. Application of this workflow allows a targeted problem-solving approach to the management of impurities during industrial crystallization development, while also decreasing resources expended on process development.

Polymorph selectivity of an AIE luminogen under nano-confinement to visualize polymer microstructures

Despite the huge progress of luminescent molecular assemblies over the past decade, it is still challenging to understand their confined behavior in semi-crystalline polymers for constrained space recognition. Here, we report a polymorphic luminogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE), capable of selective growth in polymer amorphous and crystalline phases with distinct color. The polymorphic behaviors of the AIE luminogen embedded within the polymer network are dependent on the size of nano-confinement: a thermodynamically stable polymorph of the AIE luminogen with green emission is stabilized in the amorphous phase, while a metastable polymorph with yellow emission is confined in the crystalline phase. The information on polymer crystalline and amorphous phases is transformed into distinct fluorescence colors, allowing a single AIE luminogen as a fluorescent marker for visualization of polymer microstructures in terms of amorphous and crystalline phase distribution, quantitative polymer crystallinity measurement, and spatial morphological arrangement. Our findings demonstrate that confinement of the AIE luminogen in the polymer network can achieve free space recognition and also provide a correlation between microscopic morphologies and macroscopic optical signals. We envision that our strategy will inspire the development of other materials with spatial confinement to incorporate AIE luminogens for various applications.

A polymorphic AIEgen is capable of selective growth in amorphous and crystalline polymer phases with distinct color for microstructure visualization.

Analysis of solvent-accessible voids and proton-coupled electron transfer of 2,6-bis(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine and its hydrochloride

The crystal structures of the solid form of solvated 2,6-bis(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine (H₂dimpy) trihydrate, C₁₁H₉N₅·3H₂O·[+solvent], I, and its hydrate hydrochloride salt 2-[6-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridin-2-yl]-1H-imidazol-3-ium chloride trihydrate, C₁₁H₁₀N₅⁺·Cl^-·3H₂O, II, are reported and analysed in detail, along with potentiometric and spectrophotometric titrations for evaluation of the acid-base equilibria and proton-coupled electron-transfer reactions. Compound I crystallizes in the high-symmetry trigonal space group P3₂21 with an atypical formation of solvent-accessible voids, as a consequence of the 3₂ screw axis in the crystallographic c-axis direction, which are probably occupied by uncharacterized disordered solvent molecules. Additionally, the trihydrated chloride salt crystallizes in the conventional monoclinic space group P2₁/c without the formation of solvent-accessible voids. The acid-base equilibria of H₂dimpy were studied by potentiometric and spectrophotometric titrations, and the results suggest the formation of H₃dimpy⁺ (pK_a1 = 5.40) and H₄dimpy²⁺ (pK_a2 = 3.98), with the electrochemical behaviour of these species showing two consecutive irreversible proton-coupled electron-transfer reactions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations corroborate the interpretation of the experimental results and support the assignment of the electrochemical behaviour.

Field-Induced Single-Ion Magnetic Behavior in Two Mononuclear Cobalt(II) Complexes

The employment of a new rigid N-tridentate ligand, bis(1-chloroimidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)pyridine (bcpp), in the construction of cobalt(II) single-ion magnets is reported. Two cobalt(II) complexes, [Co(bcpp)Cl₂ ] (1) and [Co(bcpp)Br₂ ] (2), have been prepared and characterized. Single-crystal XRD analyses reveal that complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural. They are pentacoordinated mononuclear cobalt(II) compounds with expected trigonal bipyramidal geometry. Both analysis of the magnetic data and ab initio calculations reveal easy-plane magnetic anisotropy (D>0) for 1 and 2. Detailed alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal the occurrence of slow magnetic relaxation behavior for the cobalt(II) centers of 1 and 2; thus indicating that both complexes are field-induced single-ion magnets.

Solvent-polymer guest exchange in a carbamazepine inclusion complex: structure, kinetics and implication for guest selection

Solvent–polymer guest exchange in a carbamazepine inclusion complex in a stirred solution was studied and a mechanism was proposed.

Unusual constructions of two Salamo-based copper(II) complexes

wo unusual Cu(II) complexes [{Cu(L¹)}₂] (1) and [Cu₂(L²)] (2), with an asymmetric salamo-type bisoxime ligand H₂L¹ were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, UV-Vis, fluorescent spectra, Hirshfeld surface analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. For the complex 1, two Cu(II) ions are penta-coordinate by N₂O₂ donor atoms from the (L¹)^2- unit and one bridged phenol oxygen atom from another (L¹)^2- unit. Complex 1 does not have intermolecular hydrogen bonds, formed an isolated zero dimensional structure. Meanwhile, for the complex 2, an unexpected ligand H₄L² was synthesized by aldol condensation reaction of H₂L¹ and acetone upon coordination, then the new ligand and Cu(II) ions combined, formed a highly symmetrical structure, and two Cu(II) ions of the complex 2 have tetra-coordinate environment. With the help of intermolecular hydrogen bonding CH⋯O interactions, a self-assembled infinite 1D supramolecular structure was formed. Meanwhile, the photophysical spectra and Hirshfeld surface analyses of the complexes 1 and 2 were also measured and discussed.

Investigating the Physicochemical Stability of Highly Purified Darunavir Ethanolate Extracted from PREZISTA® Tablets

Understanding physicochemical stability of darunavir ethanolate is expected to be of critical importance for the development and manufacturing of high-quality darunavir-related pharmaceutical products. However, there are no enabling monographs for darunavir to illustrate its solid-state chemistry, impurity profile, and assay methods. In addition, the US Pharmacopeia reference standard of darunavir is still not commercially available. It has been also challenging to find reliable vendors to obtain highly purified darunavir ethanolate crystals to conduct the physicochemical stability testing. In the present research, we developed a straightforward and cost-effective approach to extract and purify darunavir ethanolate from PREZISTA® tablets using reverse-engineering and crystallization. Using these highly purified crystals, we thoroughly evaluated the potential risks of degradation and form conversions of darunavir ethanolate at stressed conditions to define the manufacturing and packaging specifications for darunavir-related products. Amorphization was observed under thermal storage caused by desolvation of darunavir ethanolate. The ethanolate-to-hydrate conversion of darunavir was observed at high relative humidity conditions. Moreover, acid/base-induced degradations of darunavir have been investigated herein to determine the possible drug-excipient compatibility issues in formulations. Furthermore, it is of particular interests to allow the production of high-quality darunavir-ritonavir fixed dose combinations for marketing in Africa. Thus, a validated HPLC method was developed according to ICH guideline to simultaneously quantify assays of darunavir and ritonavir in a single injection. In summary, the findings of this study provide important information for pharmaceutical scientists to design and develop reliable formulations and processings for darunavir-related products with improved stability.

Physicochemical characterization, the Hirshfeld surface, and biological evaluation of two meloxicam compounding pharmacy samples

Meloxicam (MLX) is an anti-inflammatory drug susceptible to variations and crystalline transitions. In compounding pharmacies, the complete crystallographic evaluation of the raw material is not a routine procedure. We performed a complete crystallographic characterization of aleatory raw MLX samples from compounding pharmacies. X-ray diffraction indicated the presence of two crystalline forms in one sample. DSC experiments suggested that crystallization, or a crystal transition, occurred differently between samples. The FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra showed characteristic assignments. ¹³C solid-state NMR spectroscopy indicated the presence of more than one phase in a sample from pharmacy B. The Hirshfeld surface analysis, with electrostatic potential projection, allowed complete assignment of the UV spectra in ethanol solution. The polymorph I of meloxicam was more active than polymorph III in an experimental model of acute inflammation in mice. Our results highlighted the need for complete crystallographic characterization and the separation of freely used raw materials in compounding pharmacies, as a routine procedure, to ensure the desired dose/effect.

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Characterization of meloxicam polymorphs I and III.

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Biological activity evaluation.

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Hirshfeld surface analysis explains experimentally observed solubility differences.

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Meloxicam form I was more effective than form III.

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Adequate quality control based on crystallographic characterization required for raw materials.

Solvent Vapor Annealing of Amorphous Carbamazepine Films for Fast Polymorph Screening and Dissolution Alteration

Solubility enhancement and thus higher bioavailability are of great importance and a constant challenge in pharmaceutical research whereby polymorph screening and selection is one of the most important tasks. A very promising approach for polymorph screening is solvent vapor annealing where a sample is exposed to an atmosphere saturated with molecules of a specific chemical/solvent. In this work, amorphous carbamazepine thin films were prepared by spin coating, and the transformation into crystalline forms under exposure to solvent vapors was investigated. Employing grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, four distinct carbamazepine polymorphs, a solvate, and hydrates could be identified, while optical microscopy showed mainly spherulitic morphologies. In vitro dissolution experiments revealed different carbamazepine release from the various thin-film samples containing distinct polymorphic compositions: heat treatment of amorphous samples at 80 °C results in an immediate release; samples exposed to EtOH vapors show a drug release about 5 times slower than this immediate one; and all the others had intermediate release profiles. Noteworthy, even the sample of slowest release has a manifold faster release compared to a standard powder sample demonstrating the capabilities of thin-film preparation for faster drug release in general. Despite the small number of samples in this screening experiment, the results clearly show how solvent vapor annealing can assist in identifying potential polymorphs and allows for estimating their impact on properties like bioavailability.