Acta Crystallographica Section C

Crystal Structure Communications

Volume 64, Part 8 (August 2008)

metal-organic compounds

gd3231 scheme

Acta Cryst. (2008). C64, m296-m299 [ doi:10.1107/S0108270108022415 ]

Was Bijvoet right? Sodium rubidium (+)-tartrate tetrahydrate revisited

M. Lutz and A. M. M. Schreurs

Abstract: The first determination of the absolute configuration of an organic compound was published in 1951 on sodium rubidium (+)-tartrate tetrahydrate, Na⁺·Rb⁺·C₄H₄O₆^2-·4H₂O, but the atomic coordinates are not available in the public literature. This structure has therefore been redetermined using current equipment. The most up-to-date techniques for the determination of the absolute configuration have been applied and the question posed in the title can be answered with an unequivocal `yes'.

Formula: Na⁺·Rb⁺·C₄H₄O₆^2-·4H₂O