Understanding Hygroscopicity of Theophylline a Novel Cocrystal Polymorph: A Charge Density Study.

The charge density distribution in a novel cocrystal (1) complex of 1,3-dimethylxanthine (theophylline) and propanedioic acid (malonic acid) has been determined. The molecules crystallize in the triclinic, centrosymmetric space group 1̅, with four independent molecules ( = 4) in the asymmetric unit (two molecules each of theophylline and malonic acid). Theophylline has a notably high hygroscopic nature, and numerous cocrystals have shown a significant improvement in stability to humidity. A charge density study of the novel polymorph has identified interesting theoretical results correlating the stability enhancement of theophylline cocrystallization. Topological analysis of the electron density highlighted key differences (up to 17.8) in Laplacian (∇ρ) between the experimental (EXP) and single-point (SP) models, mainly around intermolecular-bonded carbonyls. Further investigation molecular electrostatic potential maps reaffirmed that the charge redistribution enhanced intramolecular hydrogen bonding, predominantly for N(2') and N(2) (61.2 and 61.8 kJ mol, respectively). An overall weaker lattice energy of the triclinic form (-126.1 kJ mol) compared to that of the monoclinic form (-133.8 kJ mol) suggests a lower energy threshold to overcome to initiate dissociation. Future work physical testing of the novel cocrystal in both dissolution and solubility will further solidify the correlation between theoretical and experimental results.