Salt Forms of Amides: Protonation and Polymorphism of Carbamazepine and Cytenamide

Abstract

In situ generation of HCl or HBr in alcohol leads to O-protonation of the amide group of carbamazepine. Six salt phases have been produced using this method and their crystal structures determined by single crystal diffraction. A new polymorph of carbamazepine hydrochloride is described as are two polymorphs of carbamazepine hydrobromide. All are protonated at the amide O atom to give RC(OH)NH 2 cations. Prolonged exposure to air results in addition of water to the solid salt forms. Such hydration of carbamazepine hydrobromide simply gives a monohydrated phase, but similar treatment of the equivalent hydrochloride results in partial loss of HCl and the transfer of the remaining proton from the amide group to water to give [carbamazepine][H 3 O] 0.5 [Cl] 0.5 ·H 2 O. A similar hydronium chloride species is the only product isolated after reaction of the carbamazepine analogue cytenamide with HCl generated in methanol.