Polymorphs, hydrates and solvates of a co-crystal of caffeine with anthranilic acid.

A polymorph screen on a new 1:1 co-crystal of caffeine, C8H10N4O2, with anthranilic acid, C7H7NO2, has revealed a rich diversity of crystal forms (two polymorphs, two hydrates and seven solvates, including two sets of isostructural solvates). These forms were prepared by liquid-assisted grinding and solution crystallization, and the crystal structures of nine of these forms have been solved using either single-crystal or powder X-ray data. The structures contain O-H...N and N-H...O hydrogen bonds through which caffeine and anthranilic acid molecules assemble to form zigzag-type chains. These chains can interact in an anti-parallel and offset manner to form cage- or channel-type skeletons within which solvent molecules can be located, giving rise to the diversity of forms observed for this co-crystal. In contrast, an equivalent series of liquid-assisted grinding and solution crystallization experiments with the closely related system of theobromine, C7H8N4O2, and anthranilic acid resulted in the formation of only one 1:1 co-crystal form.