Hydration-induced proton transfer in the solid state of norfloxacin

Norfloxacin is a special compound. Its hydrate form seems to be more soluble in water than in the anhydrate form. To investigate the hydration behavior of norfloxacin, the moisture-sorption analysis of anhydrous norfloxacin in different humidities was determined by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The contents of free water and bound water in the moisture-equilibrated norfloxacin were estimated quantitatively by using a curve-fitting program. Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy with or without thermal analyzer was used to examine the structural change and dehydration process of norfloxacin in different humidities. The result indicates that the water content sorbed to anhydrous norfloxacin changed lightly below 51% relative humidity (RH) but increased markedly beyond 51% RH. The content of free water in the moisture-equilibrated norfloxacin was nearly to zero below 55% RH, but increased dramatically in high humidity. The content of bound water also enhanced gradually with the external humidity and reached to a constant of one unit after > 75% RH. When norfloxacin anhydrate transformed to its hydrate, the infrared peak intensity at 1732 and 1253 cm(-1) assigned to the C=O and C-O groups of carboxylic acid decreased gradually with the increase of water content, but the infrared peak intensity at 1584 and 1339 cm(-1) corresponding to asymmetric and symmetric carboxylates increased. Furthermore, the peak at 2553 cm(-1) assigned to the NH(+)(2) also appeared clearly and shifted from 2558 cm(-1) in higher water content and humidity. The main functional groups of norfloxacin changed from COOH to COO(-) and NH to NH(+)(2), attributable to the proton transfer from COOH group to NH group. This suggests that the hydration can induce the interaction between norfloxacin molecules from hydrogen bonding to ionic bonding by a proton-transfer process in the solid state.