Solubilities of two polymorphs of
famotidine (A, B) and three polymorphs
of sulfathiazole (I, II, and IV) were measured in various solvents
at 298.15 K to clarify how the solubility ratios B/A, I/IV, and II/IV
depend on the solvent. The famotidine solubility increased in the
order of ethyl acetate < water < 2-propanol < acetonitrile
< 1-propanol < ethanol < acetone < methanol for both polymorphs.
The solubility ratio B/A varied from 1.09 to 1.32, having a positive
correlation with the solvent polarity. In contrast, the sulfathiazole
solubility increased in the order of water < ethyl acetate <
2-propanol < 1-propanol < ethanol < methanol. The solubility
ratios I/IV and II/IV changed little within 1.62 ± 0.04 and 1.00
± 0.03, respectively. The negligible solvent dependence indicates
that the solubility ratios are determined only by the free energy
difference between the polymorphs in the solid state. This enabled
us to estimate the solubilities of metastable form I in water, methanol,
and ethanol, which could not be measured due to solvent-mediated transformation.
The solubility ratios were compared with those calculated using three
types of thermodynamic equations from the transition temperature and
enthalpy change measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The
equation proposed by Hoffmann gave the values closest to the experimental
results.