Abstract:The new linker molecule 4-phosphono-biphenyl-4 1 -carboxylic acid (H 2 O 3 P-(C 6 H 4 ) 2 -COOH, H 3 BPPA) has been structurally elucidated in hydrogen-bonded networks with the ammonium cation NH 4 (H 2 BPPA)(H 3 BPPA) (1) and the hexaamminecobalt(III) cation [Co(NH 3 ) 6 ](BPPA)¨4H 2 O (2). The protic O-H and N-H hydrogen atoms were found and refined in the low-temperature single-crystal X-ray structures. The hydrogen bonds in both structures are so-called charge-assisted; that is, the H-bond donor and/or acceptor carry positive and/or negative ionic charges, respectively.The H-bonded network in 1 consists of one formally mono-deprotonated 4-phosphonato-biphenyl-4 1 -carboxylic acid group; that is, a H 2 BPPA´anion and a neutral H 3 BPPA molecule, which together form a 3D hydrogen-bonded network. However, an almost symmetric resonance-assisted hydrogen bond (RAHB) bond [O¨¨¨H = 1.17 (3) and 1.26 (3) Å, O¨¨¨H¨¨¨O = 180 (3)˝] signals charge delocalization between the formal H 2 BPPA´anion and the formally neutral H 3 BPPA molecule. Hence, the anion in 1 is better formulated as [H 2 BPPA¨¨¨H¨¨¨H 2 BPPA]´. In the H-bonded network of 2 the 4-phosphonato-biphenyl-4 1 -carboxylic acid is triply deprotonated, BPPA 3´. The [Co(NH 3 ) 6 ] 3+ cation is embedded between H-bond acceptor groups, -COO´and -PO 3´a nd H 2 O molecules. The incorporation of sixteen H 2 O molecules per unit cell makes 2 an analogue of the well-studied guanidinium sulfonate frameworks.