Thermal and structural properties of ambroxol polymorphs

The thermal and structural characteristics of two crystal forms of ambroxol, (trans-((amino-2-dibromo-3,5-benzyl)amino)-4-cyclohexanol), a drug with remarkable mucolytic and expectorant properties marketed in several drug products, were investigated. Form II (m.p. 92.4°C) is obtained by spontaneous cooling from a hot water/ethanol solution while Form I (m.p. 99.5°C) slowly separates from the mother liquor. The two forms can be identified by PXRD and DSC analyses. On the basis of both thermal and structural data the thermodynamic relationship of enantiotropy was deduced. No metastable (Form I)stable (Form II) conversion was observed upon storage at ambient conditions. Form I crystallizes in the space group P21/n (alternative setting of P21/c) with Z=8. Form II crystallizes in the space group P21/c with Z=4 and a significantly different crystal packing arrangement from that in Form I. A third crystalline modification, Form III (space group P21/c with Z=16) was detected on cooling a single crystal of Form I down to -70°C. On warming to ambient temperature Form III was found to revert to Form I. This reversible single crystal to single crystal transition was structurally characterised and found to involve subtle changes in the types and extent of molecular disorder as well as the hydrogen bonding arrangement.