Low-dimensional hydrogen-bonded structures in the 1:1 and 1:2 proton-transfer compounds of 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid with the aliphatic Lewis bases triethylamine, diethylamine, n-butylamine and piperidine.

The structures of the proton-transfer compounds of 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid (DCPA) with the aliphatic Lewis bases triethylamine, diethylamine, n-butylamine and piperidine, namely triethylaminium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate, C(6)H(16)N(+) x C(8)H(3)Cl(2)O(4)(-), (I), diethylaminium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate, C(4)H(12)N(+) x C(8)H(3)Cl(2)O(4)(-), (II), bis(butanaminium) 4,5-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dicarboxylate monohydrate, 2C(4)H(12)N(+) x C(8)H(2)Cl(2)O(4)(2-) x H(2)O, (III), and bis(piperidinium) 4,5-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dicarboxylate monohydrate, 2C(5)H(12)N(+) x C(8)H(2)Cl(2)O(4)(2-) x H(2)O, (IV), have been determined at 200 K. All compounds have hydrogen-bonding associations, giving discrete cation-anion units in (I) and linear chains in (II), while (III) and (IV) both have two-dimensional structures. In (I), a discrete cation-anion unit is formed through an asymmetric R(1)(2)(4) N(+)-H...O(2) hydrogen-bonding association, whereas in (II), chains are formed through linear N-H...O associations involving both aminium H-atom donors. In compounds (III) and (IV), the primary N-H...O-linked cation-anion units are extended into a two-dimensional sheet structure via amide-carboxyl N-H...O and amide-carbonyl N-H...O interactions. In the 1:1 salts (I) and (II), the hydrogen 4,5-dichlorophthalate anions are essentially planar with short intramolecular carboxyl-carboxyl O-H...O hydrogen bonds [O...O = 2.4223 (14) and 2.388 (2) A, respectively]. This work provides a further example of the uncommon zero-dimensional hydrogen-bonded DCPA-Lewis base salt and the one-dimensional chain structure type, while even with the hydrate structures of the 1:2 salts with the primary and secondary amines, the low dimensionality generally associated with 1:1 DCPA salts is also found.