‘Tailormade’ auxiliaries for nucleation, growth and dissolution of organic crystals

Abstract

A new stereochemical approach for the controlled nucleation. growth and dissolution of organic crystals with well designed auxiliaries is described. The method is comprised of the use of appropriate stereospecific inhibitors of growth and dissolution of one or more preselected faces of the crystal. This approach has been successfully exploited for the engineering of organic crystals with desired morphologies, for the kinetic resolution of conglomerates by the process of crystallization, and for inducing etch-pits at preselected faces of crystals. A correlation has been established between crystal morphology and crystal purity. Oriented growth of organic and inorganic crystals at interfaces has been accomplished with the assistance of designed Langmuir and Langmuir Blodgett films. The approach has recently been extended to the study of solvent effects on the morphology of crystals in general, and of polar crystals in particular. © 1986 IUPAC