Polymorphism and crystal transformation of penicillin sulfoxide

Penicillin sulfoxide is the intermediate for the synthesis of 7-amino-3-desacetoxycephalosporanic acid which is one of the most important nucleuses of cephalosporin antibiotic. In this contribution, two crystal structures of penicillin sulfoxide (forms I and II) were determined by X-ray diffraction, and their thermotropic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, the transformation of form II to form I was studied quantitatively by Raman spectroscopy, and its rates at different temperatures were determined. The results indicate that penicillin sulfoxide is more stable as form I, and the temperature plays an important role in the crystal transformation.