Assessment of milling-induced disorder of two pharmaceutical compounds

The goal of this study was to provide a better framework for understanding the bulk and surface disorder in milled crystalline materials. The surface and bulk properties of two model compounds, ketoconazole and griseofulvin, were characterized by inverse gas chromatography as a function of cryomilling time. Cryomilling was used to decrease the effect of temperature-induced changes, which commonly occur during milling. A reduction in crystallinity was observed for both compounds by powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Particle size analysis revealed a continued mode of attrition for griseofulvin, whereas attrition followed by growth was observed for ketoconazole. An increase in surface energy for both compounds was noticed upon initial milling, followed by a decrease as milling time continued. A determination and comparison of the surface phase transformations using chromatographic methods and DSC was carried out. Both ketoconazole and griseofulvin showed an earlier phase transformation relative to DSC. It is proposed that an intermediate metastable state for griseofulvin and a change in the surface structure of ketoconazole is the consequence of the cryomilling process.