Two N,N‐dimethylbiguanidium salts displaying double hydrogen bonds to the counter‐ions

The crystal structures of N,N‐di­methyl­biguanidium oxalate monohydrate, C₄H₁₃N₅²⁺·C₂O₄^2?·H₂O, (I), and N,N‐di­methyl­biguanidium sulfate monohydrate, C₄H₁₃N₅²⁺·SO₄^2?·H₂O, (II), show that both compounds contain the same N,N‐di­methyl­biguanidium dication. In (I), two independent oxalate ions lie about inversion centres. Strong double hydrogen bonds, with D?A distances of 2.658 (2) and 2.830 (3) Å in (I), and 2.722 (3) and 2.815 (3) Å in (II), are present between N atoms of the N,N‐di­methyl­biguanidium moieties and either the carboxyl­ate group of the oxalate anion or the sulfate anion.