Betainium tri­fluoro­acetate

The title compound, C₅H₁₂NO₂⁺·C₂F₃O₂^? or BET⁺·CF₃COO^? BET is tri­methyl­glycine (betaine); IUPAC: 1‐carboxy‐N,N,N‐tri­methyl­methanaminium inner salt], contains pairs of bet­ainium and tri­fluoro­acetate ions forming a dimer bridged by a strong hydrogen bond between the carboxyl and carboxyl­ate groups of the two ions. The molecular symmetry of the cation is close to C_s, with protonation occurring at the carboxy O atom positioned anti to the N atom. The tri­fluoro­acetate anions are disordered over two positions. In one, the conformation of the CF₃ group is staggered with respect to the carboxyl­ate group, in the other, it is close to an eclipsed conformation. The sole hydrogen bond present in the structure is the strong O—H?O bond between the anion and the cation.