Experimental study on the ibuprofen crystal growth morphology in solution

The present work is aimed at studying the effect of two solvents on the shape of racemic ibuprofen crystals. Growth experiments on an ibuprofen single crystal were carried out in a flow cell and its evolution was followed using a video camera and an image analysis system. Growth rate measurements on the (1 0 0), (0 0 2) and (0 1 1) faces were used to build the ibuprofen crystal growth morphology. A rather isometric form (hexagonal prism built on the (1 0 0) face) was found for the crystal grown from ethanol, whereas a thin platelet, elongated along the [0 1 0] axis, was obtained from ethyl acetate. Qualitative interpretations are given in terms of molecular interactions.