N—H...S and C—H...S hydrogen bonds in two tetraalkylammonium dithiobiurea(1–) inclusion compounds

Two inclusion compounds of dithiobiurea and tetrapropylammonium and tetrabutylammonium are characterized and reported, namely tetrapropylammonium carbamothioyl(carbamothioylamino)azanide, C₁₂H₂₈N⁺·C₂H₅N₄S₂^?, (1), and tetrabutylammonium carbamothioyl(carbamothioylamino)azanide, C₁₆H₃₆N⁺·C₂H₅N₄S₂^?, (2). The results show that in (1), the dithiobiurea anion forms a dimer via N—H...N hydrogen bonds and the dimers are connected into wide hydrogen‐bonded ribbons. The guest tetrapropylammonium cation changes its character to become the host molecule, generating pseudo‐channels containing the aforementioned ribbons by C—H...S contacts, yielding the three‐dimensional network structure. In comparison, in (2), the dithiobiurea anions are linked via N—H...S interactions, producing one‐dimensional chains which pack to generate two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded layers. These layers accommodate the guest tetrabutylammonium cations, resulting in a sandwich‐like layer structure with host–guest C—H...S contacts.