Thermal and X-ray diffraction analysis of lactose polymorph

Abstract

Different preparation methods and techniques were utilized to explore the crystallization behavior of the anhydrous lactose crystals prepared from α-lactose monohydrate. The crystal morphology of the obtained polymorphs was observed by SEM and the structural characterization of the samples was carried out by XRD. And several typical crystal shapes have obtained in the experiment, such as tomahawks, diamond-shaped plates and pyramids. The anhydrous α-lactose form obtained by rapid dehydration exhibits the same X-ray peaks as the monohydrate. The presence of lactose polymorphs in the test samples was determined by DSC and the weight loss was measured by TGA. This study supplied some methods to prepare the anhydrous lactose and discovered a dehydration peak of β-lactose in the TGA picture at approximately 125°C.