A tetrazol-5-yl analogue of glycine, 5-ammoniomethyl-1H-tetrazolide, and its copper(II) complex.

A nonclassical tetrazole isostere of glycine, viz. zwitterionic 5-ammoniomethyl-1H-tetrazolide, C(2)H(5)N(5), (I), crystallizes in the chiral P3(1) space group, similar to gamma-glycine. The crystal packing of (I) is determined by a set of classical hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network that is practically the same as that in gamma-glycine. The Cu(II) complex of (I), poly[[bis(mu(2)-5-aminomethyl-1H-tetrazolido-kappa(3)N(1),N(5):N(4))copper(II)] dihydrate], {[Cu(C(2)H(4)N(5))(2)].2H(2)O}(n), (II), is a layered coordination polymer formed as a result of tetrazole ring bridges. The Cu(II) cations lie on inversion centres, are surrounded by four anions and adopt elongated octahedral coordination. Water molecules are located in the interlayer space and connect the layers into a three-dimensional network via a system of hydrogen bonds.