Cocrystallization via planetary milling: Enhancing throughput of solid-state screening methods

The application of a novel modified planetary mill, with the capacity to process 48 samples in parallel, to the rapid screening of pharmaceutical cocrystals via grinding is demonstrated for carbamazepine/saccharin, caffeine/oxalic acid, and caffeine/maleic acid cocrystals. Milling is performed directly in standard glass vials therefore no vessel decontamination is needed or sample loss occurs. Furthermore, successive sample processing can be employed without the need for additional material, making the system suitable for screening compounds of limited availability. Use of the system in an automated screening workflow of dispensing, milling, and analysis with high-throughput is also discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.