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The structure of the metastable form II of 2-bromobenzophenone, obtained by crystallization from the melt, has been determined by powder X-ray diffraction. Form II has been solved in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 8.4896(19) Å, b = 6.5438(8) Å, c = 20.253(1) Å; ß = 104.452(6)°, and Z = 4 (Z' = 1) at 200 K. Both form I and form II contain a multitude of aromatic interactions, and the strength and direction of these interactions could only be interpreted with the support of the thermal-expansion tensors. Both forms exhibit, unexpectedly, uniaxial negative thermal expansion, while hydrogen bonding does not play a significant role in either of these two structures. It appears to be the first time in the literature that uniaxial negative thermal expansion may be caused by aromatic interactions. Thermodynamic properties at normal and high pressure have been determined for the stable and metastable phases, and a pressure–temperature phase diagram has been constructed. While the metastable form behaves monotropically with respect to the stable form under ambient conditions, the phase relationship becomes enantiotropic at high pressure, providing a clear example of phase behavior in which the densest form is not the most stable form under ambient conditions., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The crystal structure of the low-temperature form II of butamben has been solved in a P21/c space group very similar to that of form I. Form II possesses virtually the same packing as that of the high-temperature form I, and the dimorphism is mainly represented by a small discontinuous change in the size of the unit cell and by a difference in the enthalpy. Because of the small enthalpy difference between the two polymorphs of 375 J·mol–1, it will be difficult to predict the change in the stability hierarchy by computer-aided methods. The pressure–temperature phase diagram, constructed using volume and enthalpy differences between the two phases at ordinary pressure, corresponds to a case of overall enantiotropy, as the I–II and I–L equilibrium lines diverge with increasing pressure. This conclusion is confirmed by the experimental pressure–temperature phase diagram obtained with differential thermal analysis measurements under pressure, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Chemical derivatization and amorphization are two possible strategies to improve the solubility and bioavailability of drugs, which is a key issue for the pharmaceutical industry. In this contribution, we explore whether both strategies can be combined by studying how small differences in the molecular structure of three related pharmaceutical compounds affect their crystalline structure and melting point (Tm), the relaxation dynamics in the amorphous phase, and the glass transition temperature (Tg), as well as the tendency toward recrystallization. Three benzodiazepine derivatives of almost same molecular mass and structure (Diazepam, Nordazepam and Tetrazepam) were chosen as model compounds. Nordazepam is the only one that displays N–H···O hydrogen bonds both in crystalline and amorphous phases, which leads to a significantly higher Tm (by 70–80 K) and Tg (by 30–40 K) compared to those of Tetrazepam and Diazepam (which display similar values of characteristic temperatures). The relaxation dynamics in the amorphous phase, as determined experimentally using broadband dielectric spectroscopy, is dominated by a structural relaxation and a Johari–Goldstein secondary relaxation, both of which scale with the reduced temperature T/Tg. The kinetic fragility index is very low and virtually the same (mp ˜ 32) in all three compounds. Two more secondary relaxations are observed in the glass state: the slower of the two has virtually the same relaxation time and activation energy in all three compounds, and is assigned to the inter-enantiomer conversion dynamics of the flexible diazepine heterocycle between isoenergetic P and M conformations. We tentatively assign the fastest secondary relaxation, present only in Diazepam and Tetrazepam, to the rigid rotation of the fused diazepine–benzene double ring relative to the six-membered carbon ring. Such motion appears to be largely hindered in glassy Nordazepam, possibly due to the presence of the hydrogen bonds. Supercooled liquid T, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)