no / We report on the templated growth of 2:1 benzoic acid/isonicotinamide co-crystal on a benzoic acid subphase. The molecular basis for the template, registry between the phases, is presented. The template growth of behavior of the title compound was contrasted with that from melt and solution. This approach may be applicable as a precursor for the synthesis of bulk composite crystals.

no / Co-crystal screening is routinely undertaken using high-throughput solution growth. We report a low- to medium throughput approach, encompassing both a melt and solution crystallization step as a route to the identification of co-crystals. Prior to solution studies, a melt growth step was included utilizing the Kofler mixed fusion method. This method allowed elucidation of the thermodynamic landscape within the binary phase diagram and was found to increase overall screening efficiency. The pharmaceutically acceptable adduct nicotinamide was selected and screened against a small set of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) (ibuprofen (both the racemic compound (R/S) and S-enantiomer), fenbufen, flurbiprofen (R/S), ketoprofen (R/S), paracetamol, piracetam, and salicylic acid) as part of a larger systematic study of synthon stability. From the screen, three new co-crystal systems have been identified (ibuprofen (R/S and S) and salicylic acid) and their crystal structures determined. Because of poor crystal growth synchrotron radiation was required for structure solution of the S-ibuprofen nicotinamide co-crystal. Two further potential systems have also been discovered (fenbufen and flurbiprofen), but crystals suitable for structure determination have yet to be obtained. A greater ability to control crystallization kinetics is required to yield phase-pure single-crystalline material for full verification of this crystal engineering strategy.

no / In this feature article we will focus on the issues relating to the crystal growth of co-crystals, with a particular emphasis on drug development. The initial focus of this perspective is on the relevant literature examples that may be able to inform our understanding with regards co-crystal crystallisation and the allied supramolecular concepts. The second part of this perspective contains selected examples from our own work, which add to the literature perspective. Topics include; nucleation templates, in situ synchrotron XRD studies, solid-state synthesis through mixing and screening strategies.

Yes / Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) is a diuretic BCS class IV drug with poor aqueous solubility and low permeability leading to poor oral absorption. The present work explores the cocrystallization technique to enhance the aqueous solubility of HCT. Three new cocrystals of HCT with water soluble coformers phenazine (PHEN), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) and picolinamide (PICA) were prepared successfully by solution crystallization method and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), fourier transform –infraredspectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Structural characterization revealed that the cocrystals with PHEN, DMAP and PICA exists in P21/n, P21/c and P21/n space groups, respectively. The improved solubility of HCT-DMAP (4 fold) and HCT-PHEN (1.4 fold) cocrystals whereas decreased solubility of HCT-PICA (0.5 fold) as compared to the free drug were determined after 4 h in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, at 25 °C by using shaking flask method. HCT-DMAP showed a significant increase in solubility than all previously reported cocrystals of HCT suggest the role of a coformer. The study demonstrates that the selection of coformer could have pronounced impact on the physicochemical properties of HCT and cocrystallization can be a promising approach to improve aqueous solubility of drugs.

Yes / The creation of multi-component crystals between chiral and achiral components has gained increased interest in recent years. In many cases the overall crystal structure is similar with the creation of a pseudo-inversion centre in the enantiopure case. This allows for the formation of solid solutions between the two extremes, which may have applications within chiral resolution. Utilising a combination of database mining, computational prediction and experimental screening, the frequency of formation for such materials has been investigated showing that for co-crystals this occurs more frequently than for salts, though there is a limited number of samples to draw structural conclusions. Computational modelling indicates the prediction of such systems can be challenging due to the similarities in energy of many crystal structures, so development of tools to design such systems is required to fully utilise these concepts. / The Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding Program.

Yes / The growth of cocrystalline phases continues to expand as a key area of crystal engineering research. Understanding the phase behavior of the material and controlling the crystalline form of the material from a solution-based route can be aided by the construction of a ternary phase diagram for the system. A range of methods exist for this process which display a variety of costs and time to achieve the final diagram. The application of quantitative NMR (qNMR) to this problem offers a fast analysis method to directly determine the solution composition of all species (coformers and solvent) and is demonstrated to successfully allow the construction of ternary diagrams with and without a cocrystal phase being formed for systems with high and low solubility.

no / Of particular importance in recent years has been the development of techniques for producing nanoparticles (NPs) of poorly-water soluble drugs with dimensions less than 1000 nm for which their high surface area can lead to improvements in bioavailability. Furthermore, the small size of these particles can also enable cellular uptake, particularly for positively charged systems. Therefore, an overall objective of this part of the project was to produce nanoparticles with different levels of positive surface charge using the bottom-up method.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit gelang die Synthese einer Reihe von neuartigen linear oder tetragonal präorganisierten tektonischen Verbindungen mit peripheren Haftgruppen, bestehend aus den natürlich vorkommenden Aminosäuren Glycin und L-Alanin oder kurzen Peptiden. Neben der Synthese stand die strukturelle Charakterisierung der Zielsubstanzen und Vorstufen im Vordergrund, wobei die Aufklärung der Kristallstrukturen einer Zielverbindung und elf relevanter Vorstufen gelang, deren Packungsstrukturen überwiegend durch N–H•••O-Interaktionen determiniert sind. Ergänzend konnten Informationen bezüglich der von den Haftgruppen gebildeten Strukturmotive im Festkörper mittels FT-IR-Spektroskopie abgeleitet werden. Die Auswertung konformationssensitiver 1H- und 13C-NMR-Signale zeigt, dass Aminosäurereste innerhalb identischer Haftgruppen in Lösung jeweils in derselben Konformation vorliegen. Fluoreszenzspektroskopische Untersuchungen der hergestellten Zielverbindungen lassen interessante Anwendungen auf dem Gebiet der Sensorik erwarten.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit gelang die Synthese einer Reihe von neuartigen linear oder tetragonal präorganisierten tektonischen Verbindungen mit peripheren Haftgruppen, bestehend aus den natürlich vorkommenden Aminosäuren Glycin und L-Alanin oder kurzen Peptiden. Neben der Synthese stand die strukturelle Charakterisierung der Zielsubstanzen und Vorstufen im Vordergrund, wobei die Aufklärung der Kristallstrukturen einer Zielverbindung und elf relevanter Vorstufen gelang, deren Packungsstrukturen überwiegend durch N–H•••O-Interaktionen determiniert sind. Ergänzend konnten Informationen bezüglich der von den Haftgruppen gebildeten Strukturmotive im Festkörper mittels FT-IR-Spektroskopie abgeleitet werden. Die Auswertung konformationssensitiver 1H- und 13C-NMR-Signale zeigt, dass Aminosäurereste innerhalb identischer Haftgruppen in Lösung jeweils in derselben Konformation vorliegen. Fluoreszenzspektroskopische Untersuchungen der hergestellten Zielverbindungen lassen interessante Anwendungen auf dem Gebiet der Sensorik erwarten.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Christer B. Aakeroy / The ability to predict and control molecular arrangements without compromising the individual molecules themselves still remains an important goal in supramolecular chemistry. This can be accomplished by establishing a hierarchy of intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen and halogen bond, which may facilitate supramolecular assembly processes. Several acetaminopyridine/acetaminomethylpyridine supramolecular reactants (SR’s) were prepared with aliphatic carboxylic acids in order to determine patterns of molecular recognition preferences of the N-H moiety. The results obtained revealed the formation of molecular cocrystals through heteromeric O-H…N/N-H…O hydrogen bonds with the acetaminopyridine/acetaminomethylpyridine binding site. Furthermore, the SR’s also reacted with metal ions resulting in robust 1D and 2D metal-containing architectures. A series of pyridyl/pyrazine mono-N-oxide compounds were synthesized and reacted with a variety of halogenated benzoic acids, in order to assess the ability of these molecules to establish binding selectivity when both a hydrogen and halogen bond donor is present. The results obtained revealed that the pyridyl/carboxylic acid synthon formed 7/7 times and halogen bonds (N-O…I or N-O…Br) extended the SR/acid dimers into 1D and 2D networks. These results were rationalized via charge calculations as well as through the hierarchical view of intermolecular interactions consisting of hydrogen and halogen bonds. Furthermore, a series of thienyl compounds were synthesized and allowed to react with halogen bond donors to determine whether the halogen bond is purely electrostatic or based on the hard and soft acids and bases principles. The results obtained showed that of the 34 reactions between a halogen bond donor and thienyl compounds, the halogen bond is predominantly electrostatic in nature. Finally, as a result of our improved understanding on molecular recognition, we were able to carry out systematic structure-property studies on a series of cocrystals of anti-cancer drug molecules with aliphatic carboxylic acids. This study revealed that systematic changes to the molecular nature of the co-crystallizing agent combined with control over the way individual building blocks are organized within the crystalline lattice makes it possible to establish predictable links between molecular structure and macroscopic physical properties, such as melting behavior, solubility, dissolution rate, etc.