Concomitant polymorphs of 2-imino-2H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid amide: experimental and quantum chemical study

2-Iminocoumarin-3-carboxamide (2-imino-2 H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid) is a perspective compound for use in the pharmaceutical industry. This compound crystallized from several solvents as two concomitant polymorphic forms. The monoclinic polymorph, crystallized initially, is formed due to strong N-H...O hydrogen bonds, weak C-H...O and C-H...N(π) hydrogen bonds, and stacking interactions of `head-to-head' type. The triclinic polymorphic form obtained due to slow evaporation of the same solution is formed due to only strong intermolecular interactions, N-H...O hydrogen bonds of two types, and stacking interactions of two types. Analysis of pairwise interaction energies showed that the monoclinic structure is columnar while the triclinic one is layered. Calculations in a periodic approximation of their lattice energies confirmed that the monoclinic polymorphic crystals are metastable as compared to the stable triclinic polymorph. Further quantum chemical modeling of possible structure deformations proved that both concomitant polymorphs can not be transformed into a new polymorphic form under external influence.

New Polymorphic Modifications of 6-Methyluracil: An Experimental and Quantum Chemical Study

Polymorphism of 6-methyluracil, which affects the regulation of lipid peroxidation and wound healing, has been studied by experimental and quantum chemical methods. Two known polymorphic modifications and two new crystalline forms were crystallized and characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods as well as by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The calculations of pairwise interaction energies between molecules and lattice energies in periodic boundary conditions have shown that the polymorphic form 6MU_I used in the pharmaceutical industry and two new forms 6MU_III and 6MU_IV, which can be formed due to temperature violations, may be considered as metastable. The centrosymmetric dimer bound by two N-H···O hydrogen bonds was recognized as a dimeric building unit in all of the polymorphic forms of 6-methyluracil. Four polymorphic forms have a layered structure from the viewpoint of interaction energies between dimeric building units. The layers parallel to the (100) crystallographic plane were recognized as a basic structural motif in the 6MU_I, 6MU_III, and 6MU_IV crystals. In the 6MU_II structure, a basic structural motif is a layer parallel to the (001) crystallographic plane. The ratio between the interaction energies within the basic structural motif and between neighboring layers correlates with the relative stability of the studied polymorphic forms. The most stable polymorphic form 6MU_II has the most anisotropic "energetic" structure, while the interaction energies in the least stable form 6MU_IV are very close in various directions. The modeling of shear deformations of layers in the metastable polymorphic structures has not revealed any possibility of these crystals to be deformed under external mechanical stress or pressure influence. These results allow the use of metastable polymorphic forms of 6-methyluracil in the pharmaceutical industry without any limitations.

Quantum Chemical Study on Mefenamic Acid Polymorphic Forms

Three polymorphic structures of mefenamic acid, which is a very popular drug, have been studied using quantum chemical methods. It has been shown that the centrosymmetric dimer formed due to two O-H···O hydrogen bonds is a complex building unit in all of the polymorphic structures under study. On the basis of an analysis of the pairwise interaction energies between molecules, the polymorphic forms I and II are classified as columnar-layered while the polymorphic form III has a columnar structure. The stabilities of the three polymorphic forms of mefenamic acid under ambient conditions (I > II > III) correlate with the degree of anisotropy of the interaction energies between columns (primary basic structural motifs) formed due to stacking interactions. The shear deformation modeling of strongly bound layers in all of the polymorphic structures has not revealed any possibility for deformation of the crystal structure. The construction of the shift energy profiles and calculation of the energy barriers for the displacement along the (100) crystallographic plane in the [100], [010], and [011] crystallographic directions make it possible to explain the experimental data obtained for commercially available polymorphic structure I in a diamond anvil cell. The absence of any local minimum near the starting point on the shift energy profile and the extremely high energy barrier can be considered as criteria for the impossibility of a crystal structure deformation under pressure.

1-Allyl-4-hydroxy-2,2-dioxo-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide: polymorphic transition due to grinding with the loss of the biological activity

A study of two polymorphic forms of 1-allyl-4-hydroxy-2,2-dioxo-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-2λ⁶,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide (a structural analogue of piroxicam) has revealed some regularities in the crystal structure formation due to different evaporation rates from the tested solvents. The monoclinic polymorph crystallized from ethyl acetate is formed due to a large number of very weak C-H...O and C-H...π interactions as well as one strong stacking interaction. The triclinic polymorph crystallized from N,N-dimethylformamide is formed due to a small number of weak specific interactions and a maximal number of strong stacking interactions. The stacked dimer is a complex building unit in both polymorphic structures. Further analysis showed that the monoclinic structure is layered while the triclinic one is columnar. The two polymorphic structures also differ in their biological activity (antidiuretic and analgesic). The monoclinic polymorph possesses very high biological activity while the triclinic polymorph is almost inactive. The polymorphic transition of the biologically active metastable monoclinic structure into the inactive stable triclinic one within four weeks of grinding is caused by orientational factors rather than conformational ones and is accompanied by a change in the redistribution of interaction energies in the crystal from anisotropic to more isotropic. Thus, a slow polymorphic transition after grinding results in a loss of the biological activity.

Usage of Quantum Chemical Methods to Understand the Formation of Concomitant Polymorphs of Acetyl 2-(N-(2-Fluorophenyl)imino)coumarin-3-carboxamide

Crystallization of concomitant polymorphs is a very intriguing process that is difficult to be studied experimentally. A comprehensive study of two polymorphic modifications of acetyl 2-(N-(2-fluorophenyl)imino)coumarin-3-carboxamide using quantum chemical methods has revealed molecular and crystal structure dependence on crystallization conditions. Fast crystallization associated with a kinetically controlled process results in the formation of a columnar structure with a nonequilibrium molecular conformation and more isotropic topology of interaction energies between molecules. Slow crystallization may be considered as a thermodynamically controlled process and leads to the formation of a layered crystal structure with the conformation of the molecule corresponding to local minima and anisotropic topology of interaction energies. Fast crystallization results in the formation of a lot of weak intermolecular interactions, while slow crystallization leads to the formation of small amounts of stronger interactions.