1-(4-Nitrophenyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium chloride

In the title salt, C9H8N3O2+·Cl , the least-squares planes of the imidazolium and benzene rings are almost coplanar, making a dihedral angle of 4.59 (1)°. In the crystal, the chloride anion links the organic molecules through N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds, forming chains that run diagonally across the bc face, which compliment strong C—H...O hydrogen bonds between neighbouring molecules. These chains are connected to adjacent chains through two weak C—H...Cl interactions, resulting in hydrogen-bonded sheets extending along the b and c axes. The absolute structure of the title compound was determined using a Flack x parameter of 0.00 (6) and a Hooft y parameter of 0.03 (2).