Triclabendazole: An Intriguing Case of Co‐existence of Conformational and Tautomeric Polymorphism

The crystal polymorphism of the anthelmintic drug, triclabendazole ( TCB ), is described. Two anhydrates (Forms I and II), three solvates, and an amorphous form have been previously mentioned. This study reports the crystal structures of Forms I ( 1 ) and II ( 2 ). These structures illustrate the uncommon phenomenon of tautomeric polymorphism. TCB exists as two tautomers A and B. Form I (Z′=2) is composed of two molecules of tautomer A while Form II (Z′=1) contains a 1:1 mixture of A and B. The polymorphs are also characterized by using other solid‐state techniques (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), PXRD, FT‐IR, and NMR spectroscopy). Form I is the higher melting form (m.p.: 177 °C, ΔH_f=≈105±4 J g^?1) and is the more stable form at room temperature. Form II is the lower melting polymorph (m.p.: 166 °C, ΔH_f=≈86±3 J g^?1) and shows high kinetic stability on storage in comparison to the amorphous form but it transforms readily into Form I in a solution‐mediated process. Crystal structure analysis of co‐crystals 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 further confirms the existence of tautomeric polymorphism in TCB . In 3 and 11 , tautomer A is present whereas in 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 the TCB molecule exists wholly as tautomer B. The DFT calculations suggest that the optimized tautomers A and B have nearly the same energies. Single point energy calculations reveal that tautomer A (in Form I) exists in two low‐energy conformations, whereas in Form II both tautomers A and B exist in an unfavorable high‐energy conformation, stabilized by a five‐point dimer synthon. The structural and thermodynamic features of 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 are discussed in detail. Triclabendazole is an intriguing case in which tautomeric and conformational variations co‐exist in the polymorphs.