Sildenafil citrate monohydrate, well known as Viagra^®, is a drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Here we present the X-ray crystal structure of the sildenafil base, C₂₂H₃₀N₆O₄S. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c with the unit cell parameters a = 17:273(1), b=17:0710(8), c=8:3171(4) Å , b =99:326(2), Z = 4, V = 2420:0(3) ų. A comparison with the known crystal structures of sildenafil citrate monohydrate and sildenafil saccharinate is also presented.

Cyclodextrin (CD) has been used to prepare biocompatible and nontoxic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) suitable for biomedical applications as drug carriers. In this study, γ-CD/K-based MOF (γ-CD-MOF-1-α) was synthesized and its stability in various solvents was explored by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry (SCXRD) and powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD). As a result of solvent-induced phase transformations, two novel crystalline phases of γ-CD-MOF-1 were discovered. The newly formed ε- and δ-phases crystallize in orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry, respectively. In ε-phase, toluene was determined as a guest molecule by SCXRD. Interactions between γ-cyclodextrin and solvent molecules in ε-phase were evaluated using Hirshfeld surface analysis. The thermal stability of the new crystal forms of γ-CD-MOF-1 was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.

Diltiazem is a drug used as a calcium channel blocker in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. Because of the poor aqueous solubility of the drug, its hydrochloride salt has been marketed. Due to the short elimination half-life of diltiazem, extended-release formulations were developed. In the present work, the crystal engineering approach has been employed to obtain diltiazem forms with lower water solubility by treating with carboxylic acids. Three molecular salts of diltiazem with aspirin, niacin and L-malic acid were synthesized and characterized by single crystal and powder XRD, DTA, solid state CP-MAS, NMR and UV/vis techniques. The single crystal structure determination allowed us to study the supramolecular structures and proton transfer interactions from the carboxylic acids to diltiazem in the solid state, while the NMR studies showed the interactions in solution. In the crystal, the N,N-(dimethyl)ethylamine fragment of the drug molecule interacts with the carboxylic groups of the acids to form heterosynthons. The maximum 40-fold decrease of the aqueous solubility is achieved for diltiazem acetylsalicylate hydrate in comparison with the solubility of diltiazem hydrochloride.

The arrangement of hydroxyl groups in the benzene ring has a significant effect on the propensity of dihydroxybenzoic acids (diOHBAs) to form different solid phases when crystallized from solution. All six diOHBAs were categorized into distinctive groups according to the solid phases obtained when crystallized from selected solvents. A combined study using crystal structure and molecule electrostatic potential surface analysis, as well as an exploration of molecular association in solution using spectroscopic methods and molecular dynamics simulations were used to determine the possible mechanism of how the location of the phenolic hydroxyl groups affect the diversity of solid phases formed by the diOHBAs. The crystal structure analysis showed that classical carboxylic acid homodimers and ring-like hydrogen bond motifs consisting of six diOHBA molecules are prominently present in almost all analyzed crystal structures. Both experimental spectroscopic investigations and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the extent of intramolecular bonding between carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in solution has the most significant impact on the solid phases formed by the diOHBAs. Additionally, the extent of hydrogen bonding with solvent molecules and the mean lifetime of solute–solvent associates formed by diOHBAs and 2-propanol were also investigated.