Pharmaceutical Crystal Engineering Using Ionic Liquid Anion–Solute Interactions

The main purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of ionic liquids (ILs) in crystal engineering. We have employed ILs with different combinations of cations and anions to study their role in directing crystal structure formation of a nicotinamide (NIC) and oxalic acid (OXA) system. A new crystal form of NIC–OXA salt (2:1) was identified and characterized using standard solid state tools such as powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The crystal structure of the 2:1 salt was elucidated using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The NIC–OXA 2:1 salt form revealed a two-dimensional layered structure, while the known 1:1 salt had a perpendicular “tape-like” structure. The 2:1 salt form could only be crystallized from the ILs possessing hydrogen bond acceptor functionality. We demonstrated that specific ILs could be selected as solvents for altering the solid-state structure of organic and inorganic materials.