N-Carboxy-L-phenylalanine anhydride

Abstract

The mol­ecules of the title compound, 4-benzyl-1,3-oxazolidene-2,5-dione, C10H9NO3, are linked by intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the imino group of the five-membered ring and an adjacent carbonyl O-atom, along the c axis. The benzyl groups are stacked in a layer and the five-membered rings are arranged in another layer sandwiched by the benzyl group layer. This sandwich structure should explain the high polymerizability of the title compound in the solid state.