Are Halide···Halide Contacts a Feature of Rock-Salts Only?

The electron density distribution function in the crystalline hydroxylammonium chloride obtained using the
high-resolution X-ray diffraction technique was analyzed by means of Bader's “atoms in molecule” theory.
The anion−anion interactions in the crystal of this ionic material were examined and the energy of the Cl-···Cl-
contacts was estimated on the basis of the experimental data. The results obtained coincide well with the
theoretical calculations and the X-ray diffraction data for the rock-salts. The existence of such type of
interactions was shown to be not the unique feature of inorganic salts with point charge cations.