FIRST CRYSTALLIZATION OF SUCCINIC ACID FROM A PLANT MATRIX: ISOLATION OF THE γ-POLYMORPH FROM Solanum sanctae-catharinae Dunal.

Succinic acid is a platform chemical widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, and materials industries, exhibiting notable polymorphic behavior that directly impacts its physicochemical properties. Succinic acid presents three reported crystal polymorphs, of which the γ-form is the least common and typically arises under specific non-equilibrium conditions. This study reports, for the first time, the isolation and crystallization of the γ-polymorph of succinic acid from a plant matrix (Solanum sanctae-catharinae Dunal). The crystalline compound was obtained from the ethyl acetate fraction following column chromatography. Structural characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) allowed the unambiguous assignment of the crystalline phase as the γ-polymorph through comparison with previously reported crystallographic data. The formation of the γ-polymorph under mild conditions suggests that the chemical complexity of the plant matrix may have influenced the crystallization pathway, possibly acting as a molecular template. This study contributes to expanding the literature of S. sanctae-catharinae and disclose new possibilities for the study of crystals polymorphism in natural matrices.