Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
Mechanochemistry provides polymorphs that are difficult to obtain by conventional solution-based methods. Based on the nicotinamide and pimelic acid cocrystal, we demonstrated that the ball size, frequency, and temperature are essential parameters. Our results indicate that fine-tuning the energy input during a mechanochemical reaction can provide control over polymorphism.
We demonstrate here using a disulfide system the first example of reversible, selective, and quantitative transformation between three crystalline polymorphs by ball mill grinding. This includes the discovery of a previously unknown polymorph. Each polymorph is reproducibly obtained under well-defined neat or liquid-assisted grinding conditions, revealing subtle control over the apparent thermodynamic stability. We discovered that the presence of a contaminant as low as 1.5% mol mol−1 acting as a template is required to enable all these three polymorph transformations. The relative stabilities of the polymorphs are determined by the sizes of the nanocrystals produced under different conditions and by surface interactions with small amounts of added solvent. For the first time, we show evidence that each of the three polymorphs is obtained with a unique and reproducible crystalline size. This mechanochemical approach gives access to bulk quantities of metastable polymorphs that are inaccessible through recrystallisation.
Control of ball milling conversions is required before the full potential of mechanochemical processing can be realized. It is well known that many parameters affect the outcome of mechanochemical polymorphism, but the energy of ball milling itself is often overlooked. We show here how this parameter alone can exert a significant influence on the polymorphic outcome of ball mill grinding by allowing the selective isolation of two polymorphic forms in their pure form under the same grinding conditions. Furthermore, we show how apparent mechanochemical equilibria can be deceptive. Our results clearly demonstrate the need for careful design and interpretation of ball milling experiments beyond current thinking.
We present an in situ PXRD investigation of the mechanochemical cocrystal formation of pyrazinamide with pimelic acid in two milling jar materials. DFT calculations of the two synthesized polymorphs suggest that the relative stability is based on a conformation change of pyrazinamide in the cocrystal.
Mechanochemistry has become a valuable method for the synthesis of new materials, especially for pharmaceutical cocrystals. The Advantages of fast reactions in high purity and yield face a lack of understanding the underlying mechanism. Therefore, in situ setups to study mechanochemical reactions have been established. Herein, we present an in situ investigation of the mechanochemical cocrystal formation of pyrazinamide (PZA) with pimelic acid (PM) using synchrotron XRD. Two new polymorphs of PZA:PM (1:1) were synthesized by milling the starting materials in milling jars of different materials. While Form I is only obtained using a steel jar, Form II can be obtained purely in jars made of Perspex. In situ XRD experiments reveal a direct formation of Form II in Perspex and an intermediate formation of Form II in steel jars converting to Form I upon further grinding. Heating experiments and DFT calculations predict that Form II is the thermodynamically more stable polymorph. Therefore, the reaction progress in the steel jar contradicts Ostwald’s rules of stages as the more stable Form II converts into the metastable Form I. Hence, mechanochemistry offers the possibility to synthesize new materials that cannot be obtained using conventional methods.