The C form of n-hexadecanoic acid

Abstract

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C16H32O2, the molecules are arranged into dimers through O-HO hydrogen bonds. These dimers are packed in bilayers with terminal methyl groups at both external faces, and these layers are parallel to the crystallographic (100) plane. All C-C bonds of the alkyl chain show an antiperiplanar (trans) conformation, with slight deviations from the ideal value in the C-C bonds close to the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The similarity between the carboxyl C-O bond distances is consistent with the existence of cis-trans tautomerism.