Hydrogen bonding in the inner-salt zwitterion and in two different charged forms of 5,6-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid

5,6-Bis(2-pyridyl)­pyrazine-2,3-di­carboxyl­ic acid exists as an inner-salt zwitterion, 3-carboxy-5-(2-pyridinio)-6-(2-pyridyl)­pyrazine-2-carboxyl­ate, (Ia), C₁₆H₁₀N₄O₄. The adjacent pyridine and pyridinium rings are almost coplanar due to the presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond involving the pyridine N atom and the NH H atom of the pyridinium group. In the crystal of (Ia), symmetry-related mol­ecules are hydrogen bonded via the carboxyl­ic acid OH group and one of the carboxyl­ate O atoms to form a polymer, which exhibits a channel-type structure. In the HCl, HClO₄ and HPF₆ salts, 6-­carboxy-5-carboxyl­ato­pyrazine-2,3-diyldi-2-pyridinium chloride 2.25-hydrate, (II), C₁₆H₁₁N₄O₄⁺·Cl⁻·2.25H₂O, 6-­carboxy-5-carboxyl­ato­pyrazine-2,3-diyldi-2-pyridinium perchlor­ate trihydrate, (IIIa), C₁₆H₁₁N₄O₄⁺·ClO₄⁻·3H₂O, and 6-car­boxy-5-carboxyl­ato­pyrazine-2,3-diyldi-2-pyridinium hexa­fluoro­phosphate trihydrate, (IIIb), C₁₆H₁₁N₄O₄⁺·PF₆⁻·3H₂O, both pyridine rings are protonated. In the perchlorate form, and in the isomorphous hexa­fluoro­phosphate form, the mol­ecule possesses C₂ symmetry, with has a symmetrical intramolecular hydrogen bond involving the adjacent carboxyl­ate and carboxyl­ic acid substituents. In the crystals of the chloride and perchlorate (or hexa­fluoro­phosphate) salts, hydrogen-bonded polymers are formed which are three-dimensional and one-dimensional, respectively.