Supramolecular architectures formed by co-crystallization of bile acids and melamine

Supramolecular multicomponent crystals constructed from three different bile acids (viz. lithocholic, deoxycholic and cholic acid) and melamine have been prepared and the non-covalent interactions in the crystals studied. Both salts and co-crystals were found. While deoxycholic and cholic acid co-crystallized with melamine as a 1 : 1 isostructural molecular complexes in space group C2, lithocholic acid formed with melamine a 2 : 1 molecular complex in space group P2(1). This is the first report on a multicomponent crystal structure containing lithocholic acid.