1-Aminocyclopentanecarboxamide

Crystals of the title compound, C6H12N2O, were obtained from the reduction–hydro­lysis reaction of 1-amino-1-cyclo­pentane­carbo­nitrile oxalate and the structure was determined in the monoclinic space group C2/c. There are two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit and these assume different conformations. In the two cyclo­pentane rings, the minimum C—C bond length is 1.456 (3) A and the maximum is 1.531 (3) A. The weighted mean C—C bond length [1.483 (9) A] of the two cyclo­pentane rings is obviously shortened in comparison with the average literature value [1.543 (18) A] for a cyclo­pentane C—C bond. Hydro­gen bonds of the N—H⋯O, N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O types are the principal intermolecular interactions.