(R)-1-Phenylethylammonium trifluoroacetate

Abstract

In the crystal structure of the title salt, C8H12N+·C2F3O2 −, all of the ammonium H atoms serve as donors for hydrogen bonds to carboxyl­ate O atoms, forming an R 4 3(10) ring motif based on two cations and two anions. Since both cations and anions act as inter-ion bridging groups, R(10) rings aggregate in a one-dimensional supra­molecular network by sharing the strongest N—H⋯O bond. Edge-sharing motifs lie on the twofold screw axis parallel to [010], and anti­parallel packing of these 21-column structural units results in the crystal structure. This arrangement is one of the most commonly occurring in conglomerates of chiral 1-phenyl­ethyl­amine with achiral monocarboxylic acids, confirming that these ionic salts are particularly robust supra­molecular heterosynthons useful in crystal engineering.