Abstract. Mr=244.27 , orthorhombic, P212~2~,(1), b=11.536(1), c=16.594(2)A, V= 1066.8 (3)/k 3, Z --4, D x = 1.52, D m =1.52 Mg m -a, 2(Cu Ka) = 1.5418/k, /z(Cu K~t) = 2.82 mm -a, final R = 0.056 for 1110 observed data. The side chain of the L-lysine molecule adopts an unusual folded conformation, which allows specific ion-pair interactions between the sulphate anion and the a-and e-NH~ groups of the same molecule. This conformation might be found in proteins with an N-terminal lysine crystallized from ammonium sulphate solutions.Introduction. With the development of protein crystal-s lography the organization of the solvent on the surface o(l) 0(2) of the protein molecule is receiving increasing attention, o(3) Ions present in the crystallization medium often interact 0(4) 0(5) with the protein, stabilizing specific conformations of o(6) polar side chains. In this context the sulphate ion is of N nz particular interest since a large number of proteins are c crystallized from concentrated ammonium sulphate cA solutions. In this paper we present the structure of ca L-lysine sulphate, where the side chain of the amino acid c6 cD adopts an unusual conformation which allows an ce interaction of the sulphate anion with the charged aand &amino groups of the same molecule.