Abstract
<jats:p>Time-dependent polymorphic transformations of para-cresol, a compound known for its multiple crystalline forms and diverse applications, were investigated. The behavior of the metastable form III of para-cresol, which is obtained as a result of relaxation of the metastable form II, was examined using differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal analysis showed that the transformation of the metastable form III of para-cresol is slow, heterogeneous, and probabilistic in nature. The multi-peak decomposition of the melting curves indicates the coexistence of three polymorphs in the samples for a relatively long time. These results demonstrate that metastable forms of para-cresol can persist far longer than would normally be expected for thermodynamically unfavorable phases.</jats:p>