The crystal structures of the title 1,4-bis(4-cyanobenzyl)piperazine (1) and 1,4-bis(4-amidinobenzyl)piperazine tetrahydrochloride tetrahydrate (2) are reported. Compound (1) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P\bar 1 and compound (2) in the monoclinic space group P21/n. In both (1) and (2) the asymmetric unit contains one half of the molecule because the central piperazine rings were lo...