Layered Structure of Lithium Ethylene Glycolate, Li(OCH₂CH₂OH)

Monolithium ethylene glycolate, [Li(C₂H₅O₂)], crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Its structure was solved from single-crystal data with a final R = 0.036. The O atoms of the bridging and chelating ethylene glycol ligands form tetrahedra around the Li atoms, and these tetrahedra form layers by sharing corners and edges. Hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds within the layer. The layers are held together only by van der Waals forces.

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