Addition of methyl lithium to d-erythrono-1,4-lactone followed by acid deprotection was shown, by X-ray crystallography, to give 1-deoxy-d-arabinitol, C5H12O4, rather than 1-deoxy-d-ribitol as the major product. The crystal structure exists as hydrogen-bonded chains of molecules running parallel to the c axis which are further linked together by hydrogen bonds. Each molecule is a donor and an acceptor for four hydrogen bonds.



![[triangle]](/corehtml/pmc/pmcents/rtrif.gif)

