Crystal structure of 1-(1-chloro-eth-yl)-6,7-dimeth-oxy-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-isoquinolinium chloride.

1-(1-Chloro-eth-yl)-6,7-dimeth-oxy-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-iso-quinoline was synthesized through the reaction of homoveratryl-amine with racemic lactic acid. The formation of two enanti-omers, RR and SS, was detected by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on their chloride salts. The asymmetric unit of the crystal consists of a C13H19ClNO2 + mol-ecular cation and a Cl- anion. Two protonated enanti-omers of the title compound, with RR and SS configurations of the chiral atoms, are connected into hydrogen-bonded dimers bridged by Cl- anions. Weak C-H⋯Cl inter-actions lead to the formation of a chain running along the a-axis direction of the unit cell, which corresponds to the longest dimension (the preferential growth direction) of the needle-shaped monocrystal. The crystal studied was refined as a two-component twin.