Structural comparison of three N‐(4‐halogenophenyl)‐N′‐[1‐(2‐pyridyl)ethylidene]hydrazine hydrochlorides

2‐{1‐[(4‐Chloroanilino)methylidene]ethyl}pyridinium chloride methanol solvate, C₁₃H₁₃ClN₃⁺·Cl⁻·CH₃OH, (I), crystallizes as discrete cations and anions, with one molecule of methanol as solvent in the asymmetric unit. The N—C—C—N torsion angle in the cation indicates a cis conformation. The cations are located parallel to the (02) plane and are connected through hydrogen bonds by a methanol solvent molecule and a chloride anion, forming zigzag chains in the direction of the b axis. The crystal structure of 2‐{1‐[(4‐fluoroanilino)methylidene]ethyl}pyridinium chloride, C₁₃H₁₃FN₃⁺·Cl⁻, (II), contains just one anion and one cation in the asymmetric unit but no solvent. In contrast with (I), the N—C—C—N torsion angle in the cation corresponds with a trans conformation. The cations are located parallel to the (100) plane and are connected by hydrogen bonds to the chloride anions, forming zigzag chains in the direction of the b axis. In addition, the crystal packing is stabilized by weak π–π interactions between the pyridinium and benzene rings. The crystal of (II) is a nonmerohedral monoclinic twin which emulates an orthorhombic diffraction pattern. Twinning occurs via a twofold rotation about the c axis and the fractional contribution of the minor twin component refined to 0.324 (3). 2‐{1‐[(4‐Fluoroanilino)methylidene]ethyl}pyridinium chloride methanol disolvate, C₁₃H₁₃FN₃⁺·Cl⁻·2CH₃OH, (III), is a pseudopolymorph of (II). It crystallizes with two anions, two cations and four molecules of methanol in the asymmetric unit. Two symmetry‐equivalent cations are connected by hydrogen bonds to a chloride anion and a methanol solvent molecule, forming a centrosymmetric dimer. A further methanol molecule is hydrogen bonded to each chloride anion. These aggregates are connected by C—H...O contacts to form infinite chains. It is remarkable that the geometric structures of two compounds having two different formula units in their asymmetric units are essentially the same.