Crystal structure of 1-(1-chloroethyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolinium chloride

1-(1-Chloroethyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline was synthesized through the reaction of homoveratrylamine with racemic lactic acid. The formation of two enantiomers, RR and SS , was detected by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on their chloride salts. The asymmetric unit of the crystal consists of a C 13 H 19 ClNO 2 + molecular cation and a Cl − anion. Two protonated enantiomers 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 interactions 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.