2-({[(Pyridin-1-ium-2-ylmeth-yl)carbamo-yl]form-amido}-meth-yl)pyridin-1-ium bis-(3,5-di-carb-oxy-benzoate): crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, C14H16N4O2 (2+)·2C9H5O6 (-), comprises half a dication, being located about a centre of inversion, and one anion, in a general position. The central C4N2O2 group of atoms in the dication are almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.009 Å), and the carbonyl groups lie in an anti disposition to enable the formation of intra-molecular amide-N-H⋯O(carbon-yl) hydrogen bonds. To a first approximation, the pyridinium and amide N atoms lie to the same side of the mol-ecule [Npy-C-C-Namide torsion angle = 34.8 (2)°], and the anti pyridinium rings are approximately perpendicular to the central part of the mol-ecule [dihedral angle = 68.21 (8)°]. In the anion, one carboxyl-ate group is almost coplanar with the ring to which it is connected [Cben-Cben-Cq-O torsion angle = 2.0 (3)°], whereas the other carboxyl-ate and carb-oxy-lic acid groups are twisted out of the plane [torsion angles = 16.4 (3) and 15.3 (3)°, respectively]. In the crystal, anions assemble into layers parallel to (10-4) via hy-droxy-O-H⋯O(carbon-yl) and charge-assisted hy-droxy-O-H⋯O(carboxyl-ate) hydrogen bonds. The dications are linked into supra-molecular tapes by amide-N-H⋯O(amide) hydrogen bonds, and thread through the voids in the anionic layers, being connected by charge-assisted pyridinium-N-O(carboxyl-ate) hydrogen bonds, so that a three-dimensional architecture ensues. An analysis of the Hirshfeld surface points to the importance of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding in the crystal structure.