A series of alkylammonium-alkylcarbamates with different chain length including transdermal permeation enhancer Transkarbam 12 have been prepared and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature-dependent X-ray powder diffraction. Four transitions have been observed including solid-solid transition (1), melting (11), decomposition of the carbamate salt (111) and boiling of the released amine (IV). The first transition was connected with rearrangement of the hydrocarbon chain packing and unusual shift of symmetric CH2 stretching vibration in the IR spectra to lower wavenumbers indicated increase of conformational order. The second transition represented melting of the molecule and the third one was attributed to the decomposition of the carbamate salt into two amine molecules and carbon dioxide as evidenced by combination of DSC and TGA curves. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.