rac-Hydroxyisovaleric acid

Abstract

The title compound (systematic name: rac-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoic acid), C5H10O3, is the constitutional isomer of α-hydroxybutanoic acid. In the crystal, hydrogen bonds involving the alcoholic hydroxyl group give rise to centrosymmetric dimers that are extended to sheets perpendicular to the crystallographic c axis.

Keywords

• crystal structure
• hydrogen bonding
• hydroxycarboxylic acids