The complex packing pattern of cis-1,2-dimethylcyclobutane-1,2-diol

cis-1,2-Dimethylcyclobutane-1,2-diol, C6H12O2, crystallizes with five molecules in the asymmetric unit. Of these, two molecules are the building blocks of columns with a complex hydrogen-bonding pattern in their hydrophilic core. The walls of the columns are formed by the lipophilic parts of the molecules. The remaining three molecules of the asymmetric unit build columns with a less complex hydrogen-bonding system. In terms of co-operativity, the most significant feature is the formation of homodromic rings of six hydroxy functions.