Hydrogen-bonded network in the salt 4-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium picrate

In the title molecular salt, C(4)H(7)N(2) (+)·C(6)H(2)N(3)O(7) (−), the phenolic proton of the starting picric acid has been transferred to the imidazole N atom. The nitro groups are twisted away from the benzene ring plane, making dihedral angles of 12.8 (2), 9.2 (4) and 29.3 (2)°. In the crystal, the component ions are linked into chains along [010] via N—H⋯O and bifurcated N—H⋯(O,O) hydrogen bonds. These chains are further linked by weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The complex three-dimensional network can be topologically simplified into a 4-connected uninodal net with the point symbol {4.8(5)}.