(3R,3aR,6R,6aR)-Hexahydrofuro[3,2-b]-furan-3,6-diyl dibenzoate

The title compound, C20H18O6, prepared from D-mannitol by a two-step procedure, is a functionalized fused bis-tetrahydrofuran. In the central fragment, consisting of two fused tetrahydrofuran rings, one O atom and its two adjacent C atoms, a methylene and a bridgehead C atom, are disordered over two sets of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.735 (9):0.265 (9). In the major component, the ring containing the disordered O atom is a half-chair conformation with twisted methylene and benzoate-substituted C atoms, whereas the other ring has a half-chair or T-form conformation. In the minor component, the ring with the disordered O atom has an envelope conformation, with the O atom as the flap, and the other ring has a half-chair conformation, with the O atom and the other bridgehead CH atom being twisted. The two aromatic rings are inclined to one another by 20.00 (12) deg. In the crystal, adjacent molecules are linked via C—H...pi interactions, forming chains propagating along [010].