Secondary interactions in the iso­morphous compounds 2,6‐bis­(chloro­methyl)­pyridinium chloride and 2,6‐bis­(bromo­methyl)­pyridinium bromide

The title compounds, C₇H₈Cl₂N⁺·Cl^? and C₇H₈Br₂N⁺·Br^?, are isomorphous. In the crystal packing, layers parallel to the ac plane are formed by a classical N⁺—H?X^? hydrogen bond (X = halogen) and two X?X contacts. A third X?X contact links the layers, and a fourth, which is however very long, completes a ladder‐like motif of halogen atoms. Hydro­gen bonds of the form C—H?X play at best a subordinate role in the packing.