4-ethoxycarbonyl-3-hydroxy-3-phenylcyclohexanone

The title compound, ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-oxo-2-phenylcyclohexanecarboxylate, C 15H18O4, was obtained by a Michael-Aldol condensation and has the cyclohexa none in a chair conformation. The attached hydroxy, ethoxycarbonyl and phen yl groups are disposed in fi-axial, fi-equatorial and alpha -equatorial con figurations, respectively. An intermolecular hydrogen bond, with an O . . . O distance of 2.874 (2) Angstrom, links the OH group and the ring carbonyl. Weak intermolecular C-H . . .O=C (ester and ketone), O-H . . .O=C (ketone) and C-H . . . OH hydrogen bonds exist.