Pseudopolymorphs of chelidamic acid and its dimethyl ester

Different tautomeric and zwitterionic forms of chelidamic acid (4‐hydroxypyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylic acid) are present in the crystal structures of chelidamic acid methanol monosolvate, C₇H₅NO₅·CH₄O, (Ia), dimethylammonium chelidamate (dimethylammonium 6‐carboxy‐4‐hydroxypyridine‐2‐carboxylate), C₂H₈N⁺·C₇H₄NO₅⁻, (Ib), and chelidamic acid dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate, C₇H₅NO₅·C₂H₆OS, (Ic). While the zwitterionic pyridinium carboxylate in (Ia) can be explained from the pK_a values, a (partially) deprotonated hydroxy group in the presence of a neutral carboxy group, as observed in (Ib) and (Ic), is unexpected. In (Ib), there are two formula units in the asymmetric unit with the chelidamic acid entities connected by a symmetric O—H...O hydrogen bond. Also, crystals of chelidamic acid dimethyl ester (dimethyl 4‐hydroxypyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate) were obtained as a monohydrate, C₉H₉NO₅·H₂O, (IIa), and as a solvent‐free modification, in which both ester molecules adopt the hydroxypyridine form. In (IIa), the solvent water molecule stabilizes the synperiplanar conformation of both carbonyl O atoms with respect to the pyridine N atom by two O—H...O hydrogen bonds, whereas an antiperiplanar arrangement is observed in the water‐free structure. A database study and ab initio energy calculations help to compare the stabilities of the various ester conformations.