Unique hydrogen-bonded complex of hydronium and hydroxide ions.

H3 O(+) and OH(-) , formed by the self-ionization of two coordinating water molecules during the crystal growing of a host molecule [1,3,5-tris(hydroxymethyl)2,4,6-triethylbenzene (1)], could be effectively stabilized by hydrogen-bonding interactions with the preorganized hydroxy groups of three molecules of 1. The binding motifs observed in the complex (1)3 ⋅H3 O(+) ⋅HO(-) show remarkable similarity to those postulated for the hydrated hydronium and hydroxide ion complexes, which play important roles in various chemical, biological, and atmospheric processes, but their molecular structures are still not fully understood and remain a subject of intensive research.