The title compound, 2C20H29N2O5S(+)·C6H8O4 (2-)·4H2O, which was found to be optically active, is a relatively rare example of a chiral compound crystallizing in the triclinic crystal system. The dihedral angles between the phenyl rings of the cations are 60.03 (15) and 62.03 (16)°, while the C atoms of the anion are almost coplanar (r.m.s. deviation 0.085 Å) and all trans to each other. In the crystal, the components are connected by an extensive network of N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The sulfonamide groups link the cations into pairs via two N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds about the pseudo-inversion centre, leading to the formation of R 2 (2)(8) rings. The anions are stacked in between four cationic pairs. Pairs of water mol-ecules bridge the larger building units, forming hydrogen bonds with the remaining two O atoms of the anion.