A study of two polymorphic forms of 1-allyl-4-hydroxy-2,2-dioxo-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide (a structural analogue of piroxicam) has revealed some regularities in the crystal structure formation due to different evaporation rates from the tested solvents. The monoclinic polymorph crystallized from ethyl acetate is formed due to a large number of very weak C-H...O and C-H...π interactions as well as one strong stacking interaction. The triclinic polymorph crystallized from N,N-dimethylformamide is formed due to a small number of weak specific interactions and a maximal number of strong stacking interactions. The stacked dimer is a complex building unit in both polymorphic structures. Further analysis showed that the monoclinic structure is layered while the triclinic one is columnar. The two polymorphic structures also differ in their biological activity (antidiuretic and analgesic). The monoclinic polymorph possesses very high biological activity while the triclinic polymorph is almost inactive. The polymorphic transition of the biologically active metastable monoclinic structure into the inactive stable triclinic one within four weeks of grinding is caused by orientational factors rather than conformational ones and is accompanied by a change in the redistribution of interaction energies in the crystal from anisotropic to more isotropic. Thus, a slow polymorphic transition after grinding results in a loss of the biological activity.
Keywords: 2,1-benzothiazines; DFT calculations; N-aryliminocoumarines, crystal packing, isotypism, pairwise interaction energies; analgesic activity; antidiuretic activity; grinding; polymorphic transition; polymorphism.