The molecular and crystal structures of 2-(3-hydroxypropyl)benzimidazole and its nitrate salt.

2-(3-Hydroxypropyl)-1H-benzimidazole, C₁₀H₁₂N₂O, which has potential biological activity, can be used as a ligand for complexation with metals. This compound is an electron donor, due to the lone pair of the nitrogen atom in the imidazole ring. This nitrogen atom also acts as a proton acceptor. In the crystalline phase, the nitrate salt, namely, 2-(3-hydroxypropyl)-1H-benzimidazol-3-ium nitrate, C₁₀H₁₃N₂O⁺·NO₃^-, has been studied. The protonation of the 2-(3-hydroxypropyl)benzimidazole unit results in significant delocalization of the electron density within the imidazole ring. The salt formation leads to variations in the intermolecular interactions, which were studied by analysis of the Hirshfeld surfaces and two-dimensional fingerprint plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]