Quininium (R)-mandelate, a structure with large Z' described as an incommensurately modulated structure in (3+1)-dimensional superspace.

Quininium (R)-mandelate, C(20)H(25)N(2)O(2)(+).C(8)H(7)O(3)(-), is an organic salt with an incommensurately modulated structure. The superspace approach is required for a precise description of the structure at room temperature. In addition to the main reflections, the diffraction pattern also exhibits higher-order satellite reflections. The large number of first- and second-order satellite reflections with relatively strong intensities indicates a significant modulation. No average structure solution could be obtained on the basis of the main reflections only and hence the structure solution was performed in two suitable superstructure approximations, including satellite intensities. Positional modulation functions and modulation functions for the anisotropic atomic displacement parameters were introduced. The modulation originates from a competition between intramolecular and intermolecular forces, which is reflected, in the superspace formalism, in the modification of hydrogen bonds along the internal space variable t.