The crystal structures of three forms (I, II and IV) of barbital are well known. The DTA curve of barbital 1 is marked by only one endotherm, at 186 ~ which is the melting point of this crystalline form. For barbital II, the DTA curve shows a first endotherm at 160 ~ which indicates the transition point II ~ I, and then an endotherm at 186 ~ for the melting of form I. By fast cooling of a boiling saturated aqueous solution, another crystalline form of barbital (form X) can be obtained. The DTA curve of this new sample shows another endotherm, at 119 ~ preceding the endotherms at 160 and 186 ~ Though the TG curve does not indicate any weight loss at this temperature, this endotherm does not indicate a new phase transition, but a monotectic equilibrium.This monotectic equilibrium (XLL = 78 mol % H20, XL2 = 98 tool % H20 ) is observed at 1197 in the phase diagrams (isochoric sections at V/m = 7 cm3.g -1) of the water--barbital systems established for form I, form II and form X.Le barbital CsH 12N203 (di6thyl-5,5' 1 H, 3H, 5H-pytimidine trione-2,4,6, masse molaire M = 184,2) est utilis6 en th6rapeutique pour ses propri&6s hypnotiques d6couvertes en 1903 par Fischer et Von Meting.Son polymorphisme a fait l'objet de nombreuses &udes. Kofler [1, 2] a caractdris6 quatre formes cristallines sur la base de la morphologie des cristaux, de letirs points de fusion et des donn6es de diffraction des rayons X des poudres cristaUines. Ces r6sultats ont 6t6 confirm6s par Huang [3] qui pr6cise les distances r&iculaires.