Poly[triaquabis-(μ(2)-3-carboxy-pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ato)dilithium(I)]

In the title compound, [Li(2)(C(6)H(3)N(2)O(4))(2)(H(2)O)(3)](n), the coordination number for both independent Li(+) cations is five. One of the Li(+) ions has a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry, coordinated by one of the carboxyl O atoms of a 3-carboxy-pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligand, two O atoms from two water mol-ecules, and an N and a carboxyl-ate O atom of a second 3-carboxy-pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligand. The other Li(+) ion also has a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry, coordinated by one water mol-ecule and two 3-carboxy-pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligands through an N and a carboxyl-ate O atom from each. One of the carboxyl groups of the two ligands takes part in an intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond. The stabilization of the crystal structure is further assisted by O-H⋯O, O-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions involving the water mol-ecules and carboxyl-ate O atoms.