Diamide and amide-ester derivatives of imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid form reliable hydrogen-bonding
motifs in the solid state. The crystal structures of symmetrically substituted and dissymmetrically substituted
diamides as well as amide-ester combinations were analyzed in order to identify the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding
patterns. An intramolecular seven-membered hydrogen-bonded conformation forms in all derivatives where the
possibility existed due to the functionality present. The motifs observed for the diamides include intermolecular
NH···O and NH···N hydrogen-bonded dimers, with the exceptions to these motifs occurring in compounds having
benzylamine substituents. The amines with a higher classification (i.e., 3° > 2° > 1°) in the dissymmetrically
substituted diamides are the intramolecular hydrogen bond donors in the solid state, consistent with the capacity
of the alkyl group to stabilize developing carbocation character resulting from bond polarization. The amide-ester
derivatives also form an intramolecular hydrogen bond and an intermolecular motif based on NH···N and two different
C2−H···O hydrogen bonds. A pyrrole amide-ester derivative forms an intramolecular NH···O hydrogen bond in the
solid state and an intermolecular NH···O hydrogen-bonded chain. With the exception of the benzylamine-substituted
diamides, the intermolecular hydrogen-bonded motifs appear reliable for these imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid
derivatives and will be useful in the design of analogues for specific applications.