Crystalline, liquid crystalline, and isotropic phases of sodium deoxycholate in water

Sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) is an important example of bile salts, representing systems with complex phase behavior involving both crystalline and mesophase structures. In this study, properties of NaDC–water mixtures were evaluated as a function of composition and temperature via X‐ray diffraction with synchrotron (sXRD) and laboratory radiation sources, water sorption, polarized light, hot‐stage microscopy, and freezing‐point osmometry. Several phases were detected depending on the composition and temperature, including isotropic solution phase, liquid crystalline (LC) phase, crystalline hydrate, and ice. The LC phase was identified as hexagonal structure by sXRD, with up to 14 high‐order reflections detected. The crystalline phase was found to be nonstoichiometric hydrate, based on XRD and water sorption data. The phase diagram of NaDC–water system has been refined based on both results of this study and other reports in literature. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 100:4836–4844, 2011