5In order to determine the influence of the ortho-and meta-halogen substituent in the phenyl ring of benzoic acid on the formation of C-H···X hydrogen bonds and X···O halogen bonds in crystal packing where the halogen (X) is a fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom, we synthesized and structurally characterized a series of nine co-crystals formed from acridine and benzoic acids: acridine • benzoic acid (1), acridine • 2-fluorobenzoic acid (2), acridine • 2-chlorobenzoic acid (3), acridine • 2-bromobenzoic acid (4), 10 acridine • 2-iodobenzoic acid (5), acridine • 3-fluorobenzoic acid (6), acridine • 3-chlorobenzoic acid (7), acridine • 3-bromobenzoic acid (8) and acridine • 3-iodobenzoic acid (9). The number, type and strength of hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds and melting points of cocrystals 1-9 were compared. Systematic analysis of the intermolecular interactions taking place in the co-crystals of the title compounds indicates that competition between halogen and hydrogen bonding depends on the position and type of halo-substituent. 15 65 that there are relatively few structures of organic co-crystals, salts or solvates formed from them (10, 21, 7 and 4 structures of compounds containing 2-fluorobenzoic acid, 10a 2-chlorobenzoic acid, 10b 2-bromobenzoic acid, 10c and 2-iodobenzoic acid 10d moieties respectively, and 11, 32, 8 and 14 structures of 70 compounds containing 3-fluorobenzoic acid, 10e 3-chlorobenzoic acid, 10f 3-bromobenzoic acid, 10g and 3-iodobenzoic acid 10h moieties respectively -including the structures of the acids themselves). Acridine (0.050 g, 0.279 mmol) and 3-chlorobenzoic acid (0.044 g, 0.281 mmol) were dissolved in 50 cm 3 of an ethanol/water mixture (10:1, v/v) and boiled for ca. 15 minutes. The clear solution was allowed to evaporate for a few days to give pale orange crystals of 7 (m.p. = 129.5 ºC). 70 Acridine • 3-bromobenzoic acid co-crystal (8) Acridine (0.050 g, 0.279 mmol) and 3-bromobenzoic acid (0.056 g, 0.278 mmol) were dissolved in 50 cm 3 of an ethanol/water mixture (10:1, v/v) and boiled for ca. 15 minutes. The clear solution was allowed to evaporate for a few days to give orange 75 crystals of 8 (m.p. = 137.3 ºC). Acridine • 3-iodobenzoic acid co-crystal (9) Acridine (0.050 g, 0.279 mmol) and 3-iodobenzoic acid (0.069 g, 0.278 mmol) were dissolved in 50 cm 3 of an ethanol/water mixture (10:1, v/v) and boiled for ca. 15 minutes. The clear 80 solution was allowed to evaporate for a few days to give pale brown crystals of 7 (m.p. = 140.2 ºC).