The intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions in the N-methylimidazole (MeIm) with water binary mixture have been studied by a combined experimental and theoretical approach. The densities of the binary mixture have been measured at T = (288.15 to 323.15) K and at atmospheric pressure. From the experimental data, excess molar volumes were determined as a function of composition at each temperature. The results reveal the formation of 1: 1 hydrogen bond complex between MeIm with water at the maximal excess molar volume. Meanwhile, the formation of hydrogen bonds in the binary mixture was further confirmed by high level theoretical calculation. The structures, interactional energies and bond characteristics of the hydrogen bond complexes were calculated in the gas phase using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) theory levels. The changes of thermodynamic properties from the monomers to hydrogen bond complexes with the temperature ranging from (288.15 to 323.15) K were obtained using the statistical thermodynamic method. Thermodynamic analyses have been interpreted in terms of intermolecular interactions and excess molar volume changes in the binary mixture. It was also found that the formation reaction of the hydrogen bond complex of MeIm with water was an exothermic, entropy reduced and spontaneous thermodynamic process at all the temperature studied. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.