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Crystallization of polymorphs: the effect of solvent

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>14/08/1993
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
Issue number8B
Volume26
Number of pages4
Pages (from-to)B90-B93
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English
Event2ND INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE CRYSTAL GROWTH OF ORGANIC MATERIALS ( CGOM-2 ) - GLASGOW
Duration: 7/09/199211/09/1992

Conference

Conference2ND INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE CRYSTAL GROWTH OF ORGANIC MATERIALS ( CGOM-2 )
CityGLASGOW
Period7/09/9211/09/92

Abstract

The effect of solvent in crystallization of polymorphs has been studied using the drug sulphathiazole as a model compound. The solubilities of the four polymorphic forms of sulphathiazole were determined as a function of temperature in various solvents. Within the temperature ranges studied, the rank order of solubility of the polymorphs was the same in all solvent systems. On the basis of this knowledge of the temperature dependence of the solubilities, recrystallization experiments, in which the supersaturation was systematically varied, were carried out in an endeavour to isolate each of the polymorphic forms from each solvent system. These recrystallization experiments reveal that not all of the known polymorphic forms can be crystallized from any given solvent by varying the supersaturation. Indeed some solvents selectively favour the crystallization of a particular form or forms. We conclude that thermodynamic effects are not responsible for the selective behaviour of a solvent. A kinetic mechanism is proposed. It is considered that the solvent acts by selective adsorption to certain faces of some of the polymorphs, and thereby either inhibits their nucleation or retards their growth to the advantage of others.