Solvates and salts of selected fenamates

Abstract

Solvatomorphism of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is one of the most studied areas in pharmaceutical science. Since APIs are exposed to solvents during many stages of their production, knowledge of the consequences from such exposure is essential. Salt formation has been known to improve some physicochemical properties of an API. Amongst these properties, API solubility is one of the most important characteristics as their use in the market is determined by this feature. Research presented here investigated the solvates and salts of mefenamic acid (MA) and tolfenamic acid (TFA); both representing fenamic acids belonging to a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Solvates were obtained by reactions of TFA and MA with the solvents 2-picoline, 3-picoline, 4-picoline, 3-bromopyridine and 3-chloropyridine. A solvate polymorph of MA and 2-picoline was isolated. The salts were obtained by using diethanolamine, ethylenediamine, 1-methylpiperazine, and triethylamine in combination with the fenamic acids. Morpholine formed a salt with TFA, but not with MA. Instead a zwitterionic form of MA was synthesised when the latter was mixed with morpholine. The resulting compounds were characterised and their crystal structures analysed. It was found that the conformation of the acids in the solvate and the salt compounds differed. Moreover, within the solvates, the conformation of the fenamate backbone varied depending on the acid and the solvent used for crystallisation. Although similar solvents were utilized, the structural packing arrangements of TFA solvates were very different from the arrangements associated with MA. The thermal analyses of the salts/solvates were determined by using both thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The compounds were further investigated after manual grinding and the preparation of slurries. These preparation methods were successful for most compounds but not for MA•2PIC and (MA-)(EDM+). Instead, the recrystallization, grinding and slurry investigations of MA•2PIC yielded a polymorph of this particular solvate. In the case of (MA-)(EDM+), the PXRD results obtained from both the pulverised and slurry samples were completely different from one another and also from those determined for the starting materials. Generally, the desolvation studies of the MA salts and solvates produced the same crystal form as occurred in the starting material. The exception was (MA-)(TA+) wherein desolvation produced a mixture of two polymorphs of MA.