pH-Switchable vitamin B₉ gels for stoichiometry-controlled spherical co-crystallization

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Crystallography
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Developing novel co-crystallization media is crucial for pharmaceutical formulation.
• Vitamin B9 (folic acid) and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are essential nutrients with potential for co-crystal development.
• pH-responsive materials offer tunable properties for controlled crystallization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the pH-switchable properties of Vitamin B9 gels.
• To explore the use of these gels as a novel co-crystallization medium for Vitamin C.
• To characterize the resulting Vitamin C co-crystals and microspheres.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Vitamin B9 gels.
• pH-switching experiments using triethylamine and acetic acid.
• Co-crystallization of Vitamin C within the Vitamin B9 gel matrix.
• Spherical crystallization process under supersaturated conditions.
• Characterization of co-crystals and microspheres using analytical techniques.

Main Results:

• Vitamin B9 gels demonstrated reversible pH-switchable behavior.
• Four distinct stoichiometric Vitamin C co-crystals were successfully formed using the gels.
• Uniform microspheres of (Vitamin C)·(Niacinamide) were produced via spherical crystallization.
• Control over particle size of the microspheres was achieved.

Conclusions:

• pH-switchable Vitamin B9 gels serve as effective and recyclable co-crystallization media.
• This method enables the formation of novel Vitamin C co-crystals and controlled microsphere production.
• The developed system offers a promising approach for advanced material and pharmaceutical applications.