Subject
2 entries
Polymorphs
Bookmarks
Patent Goo: Self-Replicating Paxil
Nick Szabo's 2005 essay on pharmaceutical polymorph patents — how drug companies patent different crystal structures of the same molecule to extend exclusivity. Uses the Paxil case and the 'ice-nine' metaphor to explain how crystal contamination can eliminate a polymorph's commercial value.
Ice Polymorphs
John Carlos Baez's Azimuth post on the extraordinary diversity of ice crystal structures — at least 15 distinct phases of solid water exist under different pressure and temperature conditions. The ice-nine trope from Vonnegut has a real crystallographic basis.