Crystal structure of (S)-1-O-tert-butyl-diphenyl-silylglycerol: eight chiral mol-ecules in a triclinic cell.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound {systematic name: 3-[(tert-butyl-diphenyl-sil-yl)-oxy]propane-1,2-diol, C(19)H(26)O(3)Si}, contains eight chiral mol-ecules (Z' = 8). These mol-ecules are connected via a complex system of hydrogen bonds into an infinite assembly along the [100] axis; hydro-phobic tert-butyl and phenyl groups form an external coating of the assembly. These assemblies are packed by weak inter-molecular inter-actions in a peculiar formation resembling a 'header bond' masonry brick wall. Disorder of flexible fragments increases with temperature but the same crystal structure exists from 120 to 220†K (and most probably to the melting point at 334†K).