Crystal structure of 2-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium 3,5-di­carb­oxy­benzoate

The structure of the title salt, C(4)H(7)N(2) (+)·C(9)H(5)O(6) (−) (1), is reported. The compound is built from a protonated 2-methyl­imidazole and a singly deprotonated trimesic acid. Detailed analysis of bond distances and angles for both ions reveals subtle differences compared with their neutral mol­ecule counterpart. Analysis of the crystal packing in compound 1 reveals the formation of undulating chains by the ions through hydrogen bonding. The chains stack along the b axis through π–π inter­actions and inter­connect with other chains in an out-of-phase arrangement along the ac plane through further hydrogen-bonding inter­actions.