2,4-Di­bromo-1,3-dihy­droxy-9H-xanthen-9-one

The title compound, C₁₃H₆Br₂O₄, derived from xanthone, a fundamental structural framework of active ingredients in many medicinal plants, and was synthesized by bromination of 1,3-di­hydroxyxanthen-9-one with N-bromo­succinimide. The mol­ecular conformation is essentially planar, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings being 1.1 (4)°. This conformation is favorable for the formation of an intra­molecular O—H...O hydrogen bond between a hy­droxy group and the xanthone carbonyl group. In the crystal, mol­ecules are associated into chains along the b-axis direction via C=O...H—O hydrogen bonds involving the other hy­droxy group.