In a study of the hydrogen bond system in the alkali hydrogen salts of oxydiacetic acid the crystal and molecular structures of MHO(CH2COO)z, M = Na and K, have been determined from X-ray intensity data. Both compounds are monoclinic, space group P21/c. There are four formula units in the cell with a=6.990 (1), b=9.610 (1), c=8.434 (2)A,, fl=103.34 (1) ° for NaHO(CH2COO)2 and a=7.102 (2), b = 10.451 (1), c= 8.558 (2) A,, fl= 101.44 (2) ° for KHO(CHzCOO)2. The structure of the sodium compound was refined to R= 0-074 from intensities collected by the photographic Weissenberg technique. The intensities for the potassium compound were obtained with a linear single-crystal diffractometer and this structure was refined to R= 0.036. The two compounds are isostructural, and contain infinite chains of oxydiacetate ions linked by a short hydrogen bond. The chains are cross-linked by the alkali metal ions. The hydrogen bond is probably asymmetric with hydrogen-oxygen distances 1.01 (5) and 1.47 (5) A in the sodium and 1.05 (3) and 1.44 (3) A, in the potassium compound. The oxygen-oxygen distances are 2.462 (3) and 2.480 (2) A,, respectively.