Crystal structure of ethylene di-11-bromoundecanoate

Ethylene di-11-bromoundecanoate, C(24)H(44)Br(2)O(4), was synthesized as a model for the hydrophobic moiety of saturated phospholipids. The crystals are monoclinic, space group P2(1)/a, with two molecules per unit cell. Unlike folded configurations proposed for phospholipids in biological membranes, the hydrocarbon chains of this diester are fully extended in the crystalline state.