Crystal structure of benzimidazolium salicylate

In the anion of the title mol-ecular salt, C7H7N2 (+)·C7H5O3 (-) (systematic name: 1H-benzimidazol-3-ium 2-hy-droxy-ben-zo-ate), there is an intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond that generates an S(6) ring motif. The CO2 group makes a dihedral angle of 5.33 (15)° with its attached ring. In the crystal, the dihedral angle between the benzimidazolium ring and the anion benzene ring is 75.88 (5)°. Two cations bridge two anions via two pairs of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, enclosing an R (4) 4(16) ring motif, forming a four-membered centrosymmetric arrangement. These units are linked via C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the b-axis direction. The chains are linked by C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid distances = 3.4156 (7) and 3.8196 (8) Å], forming a three-dimensional structure.