New 1:1 and 2:1 salts in the `dl‐norvaline–maleic acid' system as an example of assembling various crystal structures from similar supramolecular building blocks

Molecular salts and cocrystals of amino acids have potential applications as molecular materials with nonlinear optical, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and other various target physical properties. The wide choice of amino acids and coformers makes it possible to design various crystal structures. The amino acid–maleic acid system provides a perfect example of a rich variety of crystal structures with different stoichiometries, symmetries and packing motifs built from the molecular building blocks, which are either exactly the same, or differ merely by protonation or as optical isomers. The present paper reports the crystal structures of two new salts of the dl ‐norvaline–maleic acid system with 1:1 and 2:1 stoichiometries, namely dl ‐norvalinium hydrogen maleate, C₅H₁₂NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), and dl ‐norvalinium hydrogen maleate–dl ‐norvaline, C₅H₁₂NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻·C₅H₁₁NO₂, (II). These are the first examples of molecular salts of dl ‐norvaline with an organic anion. The crystal structure of (I) has the same C ₂²(12) structure‐forming motif which is common for hydrogen maleates of amino acids. The structure of (II) has dimeric cations. Of special interest is that the single crystals of (I) which are originally formed on crystallization from aqueous solution transform into single crystals of (II) if stored in the mother liquor for several hours.     

Semi‐maleate salts of L‐ and DL‐serinium: the first example of chiral and racemic serinium salts with the same composition and stoichiometry

L‐Serinium semi‐maleate, (I), and DL‐serinium semi‐maleate, (II), both C₃H₈NO₃⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, provide the first example of chiral and racemic anhydrous serine salts with the same organic anion. A comparison of their crystal structures with each other, with the structures of the pure components (L‐serine polymorphs, DL‐serine and maleic acid) and with other amino acid maleates is important for understanding the formation of the crystal structures, their response to variations in temperature and pressure, and structure–property relationships. As in other known crystal structures of amino acid maleates, there are no direct links between the semi‐maleate anions in the two new structures. The serinium cations have different conformations in (I) and (II). In (I), they are linked into infinite chains via hydrogen bonds between carboxylic acid and hydroxy groups. In (II), there are no such chains formed by the serinium cations. In both (I) and (II), there are C₂²(12) chains consisting of alternating semi‐maleate anions and serinium cations. Two types of such chains are present in (I) and (II), termed C₂²(12) and C₂²(12)′. In (I), these chains, lying in the same plane, are further linked to each other via hydrogen bonds, whereas in (II) they are not.     

Unusual hydrogen bonding in L‐cysteine hydrogen fluoride

L‐Cysteine hydrogen fluoride, or bis(L‐cysteinium) difluoride–L‐cysteine–hydrogen fluoride (1/1/1), 2C₃H₈NO₂S⁺·2F⁻·C₃H₇NO₂S·HF or L‐Cys⁺(L‐Cys...L‐Cys⁺)F⁻(F⁻...H—F), provides the first example of a structure with cations of the `triglycine sulfate' type, i.e.A⁺(A...A⁺) (where A and A⁺ are the zwitterionic and cationic states of an amino acid, respectively), without a doubly charged counter‐ion. The salt crystallizes in the monoclinic system with the space group P2₁. The dimeric (L‐Cys...L‐Cys⁺) cation and the dimeric (F⁻...H—F) anion are formed via strong O—H...O or F—H...F hydrogen bonds, respectively, with very short O...O [2.4438 (19) Å] and F...F distances [2.2676 (17) Å]. The F...F distance is significantly shorter than in solid hydrogen fluoride. Additionally, there is another very short hydrogen bond, of O—H...F type, formed by a L‐cysteinium cation and a fluoride ion. The corresponding O...F distance of 2.3412 (19) Å seems to be the shortest among O—H...F and F—H...O hydrogen bonds known to date. The single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction study was complemented by IR spectroscopy. Of special interest was the spectral region of vibrations related to the above‐mentioned hydrogen bonds.     

Salts of maleic and fumaric acids with oxine: the role of isomeric acids in hydrogen‐bonding patterns

Both maleic and fumaric acid readily form adducts or complexes with other organic molecules. The 1:1 adduct formed by quinolin‐8‐ol (oxine) with maleic and fumaric acid are salts, namely 8‐hydroxyquinolinium hydrogen maleate, C₉H₈NO⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), and 8‐hydroxyquinolinium hydrogen fumarate, C₉H₈NO⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (II). The cations and anions of both salts are linked by ionic N⁺—H...O⁻ hydrogen bonds. The maleate salt crystallizes in the space group P2₁2₁2₁, while the fumarate salt crystallizes in P. The maleic and fumaric acids in their complex forms exist as semimaleate and semifumarate ions (mono‐ionized state), respectively. Classical N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds, together with short C—H...O contacts, generate an extensive hydrogen‐bonding network. The crystal structures of the maleate and fumarate salts of oxine have been elucidated to study the importance of noncovalent interactions in the aggregation and interaction patterns of biological molecules. The structures of the salts of the Z and E isomers of butenedioic acid (maleic and fumaric acid, respectively) with quinolin‐8‐ol are compared.     

Cyclic heterotetrameric and low‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded polymeric structures in the morpholinium salts of ring‐substituted benzoic acid analogues

The morpholinium (tetrahydro‐2H‐1,4‐oxazin‐4‐ium) cation has been used as a counter‐ion in both inorganic and organic salt formation and particularly in metal complex stabilization. To examine the influence of interactive substituent groups in the aromatic rings of benzoic acids upon secondary structure generation, the anhydrous salts of morpholine with salicylic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₅O₃⁻, (I), 3,5‐dinitrosalicylic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₇⁻, (II), 3,5‐dinitrobenzoic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₆⁻, (III), and 4‐nitroanthranilic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₄⁻, (IV), have been prepared and their hydrogen‐bonded crystal structures are described. In the crystal structures of (I), (III) and (IV), the cations and anions are linked by moderately strong N—H…O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds, but the secondary structure propagation differs among the three, viz. one‐dimensional chains extending along [010] in (I), a discrete cyclic heterotetramer in (III), and in (IV), a heterotetramer with amine N—H…O hydrogen‐bond extensions along b, giving a two‐layered ribbon structure. With the heterotetramers in both (III) and (IV), the ion pairs are linked though inversion‐related N—H…O_carboxylate hydrogen bonds, giving cyclic R₄⁴(12) motifs. With (II), in which the anion is a phenolate rather than a carboxylate, the stronger assocation is through a symmetric lateral three‐centre cyclic R₁²(6) N—H…(O,O′) hydrogen‐bonding linkage involving the phenolate and nitro O‐atom acceptors of the anion, with extension through a weaker O—H…O_carboxyl hydrogen bond. This results in a one‐dimensional chain structure extending along [100]. In the structures of two of the salts [i.e. (II) and (IV)], there are also π–π ring interactions, with ring‐centroid separations of 3.5516 (9) and 3.7700 (9) Å in (II), and 3.7340 (9) Å in (IV).     

Z and E isomers of butenedioic acid with 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazole: 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazolium hydrogen maleate and 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazolium hydrogen fumarate

Maleic acid and fumaric acid, the Z and E isomers of butenedioic acid, form 1:1 adducts with 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazole, namely 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazolium hydrogen maleate (2ATHM), C₃H₅N₂S⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, and 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazolium hydrogen fumarate (2ATHF), C₃H₅N₂S⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, respectively. In both compounds, protonation of the ring N atom of the 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazole and deprotonation of one of the carboxyl groups are observed. The asymmetric unit of 2ATHF contains three independent ion pairs. The hydrogen maleate ion of 2ATHM shows a short intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond with an O...O distance of 2.4663 (19) Å. An extensive hydrogen‐bonded network is observed in both compounds, involving N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds. 2ATHM forms two‐dimensional sheets parallel to the ab plane, extending as independent parallel sheets along the c axis, whereas 2ATHF forms two‐dimensional zigzag layers parallel to the bc plane, extending as independent parallel layers along the a axis.     

One‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded structures in the 1:1 proton‐transfer compounds of 4,5‐dichlorophthalic acid with 8‐hydroxyquinoline, 8‐aminoquinoline and quinoline‐2‐carboxylic acid (quinaldic acid)

The structures of the 1:1 proton‐transfer compounds of 4,5‐dichlorophthalic acid with 8‐hydroxyquinoline, 8‐aminoquinoline and quinoline‐2‐carboxylic acid (quinaldic acid), namely anhydrous 8‐hydroxyquinolinium 2‐carboxy‐4,5‐dichlorobenzoate, C₉H₈NO⁺·C₈H₃Cl₂O₄⁻, (I), 8‐aminoquinolinium 2‐carboxy‐4,5‐dichlorobenzoate, C₉H₉N₂⁺·C₈H₃Cl₂O₄⁻, (II), and the adduct hydrate 2‐carboxyquinolinium 2‐carboxy‐4,5‐dichlorobenzoate quinolinium‐2‐carboxylate monohydrate, C₁₀H₈NO₂⁺·C₈H₃Cl₂O₄⁻·C₁₀H₇NO₂·H₂O, (III), have been determined at 130 K. Compounds (I) and (II) are isomorphous and all three compounds have one‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded chain structures, formed in (I) through O—H...O_carboxyl extensions and in (II) through N⁺—H...O_carboxyl extensions of cation–anion pairs. In (III), a hydrogen‐bonded cyclic R₂²(10) pseudo‐dimer unit comprising a protonated quinaldic acid cation and a zwitterionic quinaldic acid adduct molecule is found and is propagated through carboxylic acid O—H...O_carboxyl and water O—H...O_carboxyl interactions. In both (I) and (II), there are also cation–anion aromatic ring π–π associations. This work further illustrates the utility of both hydrogen phthalate anions and interactive‐group‐substituted quinoline cations in the formation of low‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded structures.     

Hydro­gen bonding in proton‐transfer compounds of 5‐sulfosalicylic acid with bicyclic heteroaromatic Lewis bases

The crystal structures of quinolinium 3‐carboxy‐4‐hydroxy­benzene­sulfonate trihydrate, C₉H₈N⁺·C₇H₅O₆S⁻·3H₂O, (I), 8‐hydroxy­quinolinium 3‐carboxy‐4‐hydroxy­benzene­sulfonate monohydrate, C₉H₈NO⁺·C₇H₅O₆S⁻·H₂O, (II), 8‐amino­quinolinium 3‐carboxy‐4‐hydroxy­benzene­sulfonate dihydrate, C₉H₉N₂⁺·C₇H₅O₆S⁻·2H₂O, (III), and 2‐carboxy­quinolinium 3‐carboxy‐4‐hydroxy­benzene­sulfonate quinolinium‐2‐carboxylate, C₁₀H₈NO₂⁺·C₇H₅O₆S⁻·C₁₀H₇NO₂, (IV), four proton‐transfer compounds of 5‐sulfosalicylic acid with bicyclic heteroaromatic Lewis bases, reveal in each the presence of variously hydrogen‐bonded polymers. In only one of these compounds, viz. (II), is the protonated quinolinium group involved in a direct primary N⁺—H⋯O(sulfonate) hydrogen‐bonding interaction, while in the other hydrates, viz. (I) and (III), the water mol­ecules participate in the primary intermediate interaction. The quinaldic acid (quinoline‐2‐carboxylic acid) adduct, (IV), exhibits cation–cation and anion–adduct hydrogen bonding but no direct formal heteromolecular interaction other than a number of weak cation–anion and cation–adduct π–π stacking associations. In all other compounds, secondary interactions give rise to network polymer structures.     

Hydrogen‐bonded two‐ and three‐dimensional polymeric structures in the ammonium salts of 3,5‐dinitrobenzoic acid, 4‐nitrobenzoic acid and 2,4‐dichlorobenzoic acid

The structures of ammonium 3,5‐dinitrobenzoate, NH₄⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₆⁻, (I), ammonium 4‐nitrobenzoate dihydrate, NH₄⁺·C₇H₄NO₄⁻·2H₂O, (II), and ammonium 2,4‐dichlorobenzoate hemihydrate, NH₄⁺·C₇H₃Cl₂O₂⁻·0.5H₂O, (III), have been determined and their hydrogen‐bonded structures are described. All three salts form hydrogen‐bonded polymeric structures, viz. three‐dimensional in (I) and two‐dimensional in (II) and (III). With (I), a primary cation–anion cyclic association is formed [graph set R₄³(10)] through N—H...O hydrogen bonds, involving a carboxylate group with both O atoms contributing to the hydrogen bonds (denoted O,O′‐carboxylate) on one side and a carboxylate group with one O atom involved in two hydrogen bonds (denoted O‐carboxylate) on the other. Structure extension involves N—H...O hydrogen bonds to both carboxylate and nitro O‐atom acceptors. With structure (II), the primary inter‐species interactions and structure extension into layers lying parallel to (001) are through conjoined cyclic hydrogen‐bonding motifs, viz.R₄³(10) (one cation, an O,O′‐carboxylate group and two water molecules) and centrosymmetric R₄²(8) (two cations and two water molecules). The structure of (III) also has conjoined R₄³(10) and centrosymmetric R₄²(8) motifs in the layered structure but these differ in that the first motif involves one cation, an O,O′‐carboxylate group, an O‐carboxylate group and one water molecule, and the second motif involves two cations and two O‐carboxylate groups. The layers lie parallel to (100). The structures of salt hydrates (II) and (III), displaying two‐dimensional layered arrays through conjoined hydrogen‐bonded nets, provide further illustration of a previously indicated trend among ammonium salts of carboxylic acids, but the anhydrous three‐dimensional structure of (I) is inconsistent with that trend.     

Supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks in cytosinium succinate and cytosinium 4‐nitrobenzoate cytosine monohydrate

In cytosinium succinate (systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium 3‐carboxypropanoate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₄H₅O₄⁻, (I), the cytosinium cation forms one‐dimensional self‐assembling patterns by intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonding, while in cytosinium 4‐nitrobenzoate cytosine monohydrate [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium 4‐nitrobenzoate 4‐aminopyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one solvate monohydrate], C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₇H₄NO₄⁻·C₄H₅N₃O·H₂O, (II), the cytosinium–cytosine base pair, held together by triple hydrogen bonds, leads to one‐dimensional polymeric ribbons via double N—H...O hydrogen bonds. This study illustrates clearly the different alignment of cytosine molecules in the crystal packing and their ability to form supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks with the anions.     

L‐Argininium phosphite – a new candidate for NLO materials

In order to investigate the possibility of salt formation in the L‐Arg–H₃PO₃–H₂O system, single crystals of L‐argininium phosphite, C₆H₁₅N₄O₂⁺·H₂PO₃⁻, were prepared by evaporation of an aqueous solution containing equimolar quantities of L‐arginine and phosphorous acid. The asymmetric unit contains one L‐argininium(+) cation and one phosphite [HPO₂(OH)]⁻ anion. The phosphite anions form chains parallel to [010] by O—H...O hydrogen bonding, with an O...O distance of 2.630 (3) Å. The protonated amine and guanidyl groups of the L‐argininium(+) cations form N—H...O hydrogen bonds with the carboxylate groups and anions. The IR and Raman spectra are discussed in relation to the crystal structure. The salt displays nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. Another salt was obtained from a solution with a 1:2 molar ratio of components, but was characterized by vibrational spectra only.     

N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen‐bonded supramolecular networks in 4‐chloroanilinium, 2‐hydroxyanilinium and 3‐hydroxyanilinium hydrogen phthalates

The title salts, 4‐chloroanilinium hydrogen phthalate (PCAHP), C₆H₇ClN⁺·C₈H₅O₄⁻, 2‐hydroxyanilinium hydrogen phthalate (2HAHP), C₆H₈NO⁺·C₈H₅O₄⁻, and 3‐hydroxyanilinium hydrogen phthalate (3HAHP), C₆H₈NO⁺·C₈H₅O₄⁻, all crystallize in the space group P2₁/c. The asymmetric unit of 2HAHP contains two independent ion pairs. The hydrogen phthalate ions of 2HAHP and 3HAHP show a short intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond, with O...O distances ranging from 2.3832 (15) to 2.3860 (14) Å. N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds, together with short C—H...O contacts in PCAHP and 3HAHP, generate extended hydrogen‐bond networks. PCAHP forms a two‐dimensional supramolecular sheet extending in the (100) plane, whereas 2HAHP has a supramolecular chain running parallel to the [100] direction and 3HAHP has a two‐dimensional network extending parallel to the (001) plane.     

3‐Cyano‐6‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐pyridone: two new pseudopolymorphs and two cocrystals with products of an in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution

Four crystal structures of 3‐cyano‐6‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐pyridone (CMP), viz. the dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate, C₇H₆N₂O₂·C₂H₆OS, (1), the N,N‐dimethylacetamide monosolvate, C₇H₆N₂O₂·C₄H₉NO, (2), a cocrystal with 2‐amino‐4‐dimethylamino‐6‐methylpyrimidine (as the salt 2‐amino‐4‐dimethylamino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐1‐ium 5‐cyano‐4‐methyl‐6‐oxo‐1,6‐dihydropyridin‐2‐olate), C₇H₁₃N₄⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₂⁻, (3), and a cocrystal with N,N‐dimethylacetamide and 4,6‐diamino‐2‐dimethylamino‐1,3,5‐triazine [as the solvated salt 2,6‐diamino‐4‐dimethylamino‐1,3,5‐triazin‐1‐ium 5‐cyano‐4‐methyl‐6‐oxo‐1,6‐dihydropyridin‐2‐olate–N,N‐dimethylacetamide (1/1)], C₅H₁₁N₆⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₂⁻·C₄H₉NO, (4), are reported. Solvates (1) and (2) both contain the hydroxy group in a para position with respect to the cyano group of CMP, acting as a hydrogen‐bond donor and leading to rather similar packing motifs. In cocrystals (3) and (4), hydrolysis of the solvent molecules occurs and an in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution of a Cl atom with a dimethylamino group has taken place. Within all four structures, an R₂²(8) N—H...O hydrogen‐bonding pattern is observed, connecting the CMP molecules, but the pattern differs depending on which O atom participates in the motif, either the ortho or para O atom with respect to the cyano group. Solvents and coformers are attached to these arrangements via single‐point O—H...O interactions in (1) and (2) or by additional R₄⁴(16) hydrogen‐bonding patterns in (3) and (4). Since the in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the coformers occurs, the possible Watson–Crick C–G base‐pair‐like arrangement is inhibited, yet the cyano group of the CMP molecules participates in hydrogen bonds with their coformers, influencing the crystal packing to form chains.     

rac‐3‐Benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid and its organic salts: possibilities of Yang photocyclization in crystals

The analysis of the crystal structures of rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid, C₁₁H₁₂O₃, (I), morpholinium rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate monohydrate, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻·H₂O, (II), pyridinium [hydrogen bis(rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate)], C₅H₆N⁺·(H⁺·2C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻), (III), and pyrrolidinium rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid, C₄H₁₀N⁺·C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻·C₁₁H₁₂O₃, (IV), has enabled us to predict and understand the behaviour of these compounds in Yang photocyclization. Molecules containing the Ar—CO—C—C—CH fragment can undergo Yang photocyclization in solvents but they can be photoinert in the crystalline state. In the case of the compounds studied here, the long distances between the O atom of the carbonyl group and the γ‐H atom, and between the C atom of the carbonyl group and the γ‐C atom preclude Yang photocyclization in the crystals. Molecules of (I) are deprotonated in a different manner depending on the kind of organic base used. In the crystal structure of (III), strong centrosymmetric O...H...O hydrogen bonds are observed.     

Supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks in cytosinium nicotinate monohydrate and cytosinium isonicotinate cytosine dihydrate

The title compounds are proton‐transfer compounds of cytosine with nicotinic acid [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium nicotinate monohydrate (cytosinium nicotinate hydrate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₆H₄NO₂⁻·H₂O, (I)] and isonicotinic acid [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium isonicotinate–4‐aminopyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one–water (1/1/2) (cytosinium isonicotinate cytosine dihydrate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₆H₄NO₂⁻·C₄H₅N₃O·2H₂O, (II)]. In (I), the cation and anion are interlinked by N—H...O hydrogen bonding to form a one‐dimensional tape. These tapes are linked through water molecules to form discrete double sheets. In (II), the cytosinium–cytosine base pairs are connected by triple hydrogen bonds, leading to one‐dimensional polymeric ribbons. These ribbons are further interconnected via nicotinate–water and water–water hydrogen bonding, resulting in an overall three‐dimensional network.     

The effect of amino acid backbone length on molecular packing: crystalline tartrates of glycine, β‐alanine, γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dl‐α‐aminobutyric acid (AABA)

We report a novel 1:1 cocrystal of β‐alanine with dl ‐tartaric acid, C₃H₇NO₂·C₄H₆O₆, (II), and three new molecular salts of dl ‐tartaric acid with β‐alanine {3‐azaniumylpropanoic acid–3‐azaniumylpropanoate dl ‐tartaric acid–dl ‐tartrate, [H(C₃H₇NO₂)₂]⁺·[H(C₄H₅O₆)₂]⁻, (III)}, γ‐aminobutyric acid [3‐carboxypropanaminium dl ‐tartrate, C₄H₁₀NO₂⁺·C₄H₅O₆⁻, (IV)] and dl ‐α‐aminobutyric acid {dl ‐2‐azaniumylbutanoic acid–dl ‐2‐azaniumylbutanoate dl ‐tartaric acid–dl ‐tartrate, [H(C₄H₉NO₂)₂]⁺·[H(C₄H₅O₆)₂]⁻, (V)}. The crystal structures of binary crystals of dl ‐tartaric acid with glycine, (I), β‐alanine, (II) and (III), GABA, (IV), and dl ‐AABA, (V), have similar molecular packing and crystallographic motifs. The shortest amino acid (i.e. glycine) forms a cocrystal, (I), with dl ‐tartaric acid, whereas the larger amino acids form molecular salts, viz. (IV) and (V). β‐Alanine is the only amino acid capable of forming both a cocrystal [i.e. (II)] and a molecular salt [i.e. (III)] with dl ‐tartaric acid. The cocrystals of glycine and β‐alanine with dl ‐tartaric acid, i.e. (I) and (II), respectively, contain chains of amino acid zwitterions, similar to the structure of pure glycine. In the structures of the molecular salts of amino acids, the amino acid cations form isolated dimers [of β‐alanine in (III), GABA in (IV) and dl ‐AABA in (V)], which are linked by strong O—H…O hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the three crystal structures comprise different types of dimeric cations, i.e. (A…A)⁺ in (III) and (V), and A⁺…A⁺ in (IV). Molecular salts (IV) and (V) are the first examples of molecular salts of GABA and dl ‐AABA that contain dimers of amino acid cations. The geometry of each investigated amino acid (except dl ‐AABA) correlates with the melting point of its mixed crystal.     

Charge‐assisted hydrogen bonding in salts of 2‐amino‐1H‐benzimidazole with 3‐phenylpropynoic acid and oct‐2‐ynoic acid

The 100 K structures of two salts, namely 2‐amino‐1H‐benzimidazolium 3‐phenylpropynoate, C₇H₈N₃⁺·C₉H₅O₂⁻, (I), and 2‐amino‐1H‐benzimidazolium oct‐2‐ynoate, C₇H₈N₃⁺·C₈H₁₁O₂⁻, (II), both have monoclinic symmetry (space group P2₁/c) and display N—H...O hydrogen bonding. Both structures show packing with corrugated sheets of hydrogen‐bonded molecules lying parallel to the [001] direction. Two hydrogen‐bonded ring motifs can be identified and described with graph sets R²₂(8) and R⁴₄(16), respectively, in both (I) and (II). Computational chemistry calculations performed on both compounds show that the hydrogen‐bonded ion pairs are more energetically favourable in the crystal structure than their hydrogen–bonded neutral molecule counterparts.     

4‐Carboxypiperidinium 1‐carboxycyclobutane‐1‐carboxylate

The title salt, C₆H₁₂NO₂⁺·C₆H₇O₄⁻ or ISO⁺·CBDC⁻, is an ionic ensemble assisted by hydrogen bonds. The amino acid moiety (ISO or piperidine‐4‐carboxylic acid) has a protonated ring N atom (ISO⁺ or 4‐carboxypiperidinium), while the semi‐protonated acid (CBDC⁻ or 1‐carboxycyclobutane‐1‐carboxylate) has the negative charge residing on one carboxylate group, leaving the other as a neutral –COOH group. The –⁺NH₂– state of protonation allows the formation of a two‐dimensional crystal packing consisting of zigzag layers stacked along a separated by van der Waals distances. The layers extend in the bc plane connected by a complex network of N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds. Wave‐like ribbons, constructed from ISO⁺ and CBDC⁻ units and described by the graph‐set symbols C₃³(10) and R₃³(14), run alternately in opposite directions along c. Intercalated between the ribbons are ISO⁺ cations linked by hydrogen bonds, forming rings described by the graph‐set symbols R₆⁶(30) and R₄²(18). A detailed analysis of the structures of the individual components and the intricate hydrogen‐bond network of the crystal structure is given.     

Isomorphous crystals of strychninium 4‐chloro­benzoate and strychninium 4‐nitro­benzoate

In strychninium 4‐chloro­benzoate, C₂₁H₂₃N₂O₂⁺·C₇H₄ClO₂⁻, (I), and strychninium 4‐nitro­benzoate, C₂₁H₂₃N₂O₂⁺·C₇H₄NO₄⁻, (II), the strychninium cations form pillars stabilized by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π hydrogen bonds. Channels between the pillars are occupied by anions linked to one another by C—H⋯π hydrogen bonds. The cations and anions are linked by ionic N—H⁺⋯O⁻ and C—H⋯X hydrogen bonds, where X = O, π and Cl in (I), and O and π in (II).