The crystal structures of the monoclinic and triclinic polymorphs of zoledronic acid, C5H10N2O7P2, have been established from laboratory powder X-ray diffraction data. The molecules in both polymorphs are described as zwitterions, namely 1-(2-hydroxy-2-phosphonato-2-phosphonoethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium. Strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (with donor-acceptor distances of 2.60 Å or less) link the molecules into layers, parallel to the (100) plane in the monoclinic polymorph and to the (1-10) plane in the triclinic polymorph. The phosphonic acid groups form the inner side of each layer, while the imidazolium groups lie to the outside of the layer, protruding in opposite directions. In both polymorphs, layers related by translation along [100] interact through weak hydrogen bonds (with donor-acceptor distances greater than 2.70 Å), forming three-dimensional layered structures. In the monoclinic polymorph, there are hydrogen-bonded centrosymmetric dimers linked by four strong O-H...O hydrogen bonds, which are not present in the triclinic polymorph.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.