Abstract: | Crystals of 2,4,6‐triamino‐1,3,5‐triazine‐1,3‐dium bis(trifluoroacetate) trihydrate, C3H8N62+·2CF3COO−·3H2O, and 2,4,6‐triamino‐1,3,5‐triazine‐1,3‐dium bis(trichloroacetate) dihydrate, C3H8N62+·2CCl3COO−·2H2O, both contain doubly protonated melamine rings that lie on crystallographic twofold axes. In the former structure, one water molecule also lies on a twofold axis. While the trifluoroacetate compound crystallizes in a centrosymmetric space group, the trichloroacetate is non‐centrosymmetric, so it is useful as a material for non‐linear optics. The efficiency of second harmonic generation is about three times greater than that of KDP (KH2PO4). A combination of ionic and donor–acceptor hydrogen‐bond interactions link the melaminium(2+) residues with trifluoroacetate or trichloroacetate ions and water molecules to form a three‐dimensional network. |