The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 17 alpha-benzyl- 16-hydroxy
imino-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17 beta-ol, C26H31NO3, contains t
wo molecules which differ in the orientations of the methoxy groups at
C(3). The 17-hydroxy and 16-hydroxyimino moieties are involved in int
ramolecular N ... O and intermolecular N ... O and O ... O hydrogen bo
nds. The hydrogen-bond network accounts for the differences in bond an
d torsion angles of the alpha-hydroxyimino moieties of the symmetry-in
dependent molecules. This has been confirmed by molecular-mechanics ca
lculations on the individual molecules which indicate that they have t
he same geometry in their energy minimum states.