(3R,3aR,6R,6aR)-Hexa-hydro-furo[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-tetra-hydro-furan. In the central fragment, consisting of two fused tetra-hydro-furan rings, one O atom and its two adjacent C atoms, a methyl-ene 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)°. In the crystal, adjacent molecules are linked via C-H⋯π interactions, forming chains propagating along [010].