Abstract

Uronium and sulfonate ions are demonstrated to self-assemble into two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded polar sheets. The ancillary benzene rings attached to the sulfonate ions are aligned on one side of the sheets. The whole directional and topological information for recognition and two-dimensional organisation is implicated for the supramolecular unit with general formula [(NH₂)₂COH]⁺[RSO₃]⁻. Although the uronium and the sulfonate moieties are mismatched in terms of symmetry and numbers of hydrogen bonding atoms, the aggregation of ionic and non-polar regions leads to the formation of a lamellar structure. The van der Waals interactions intercalating the hydrogen-bonded sheets into lamellae dictate cancellation of the net dipole moment in the intralamellar space.