()‐3‐Ethyl‐2‐methyl‐4‐oxo­cyclo­hexane­carboxyl­ic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a cyclic δ‐keto acid

In the title compound, C₁₀H₁₆O₃, the two mol­ecules of the asymmetric unit form acid‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonded chains. The two species differ only very slightly and are related by a pseudo‐center, so that the apparent translational relationship among the units of the hydrogen‐bonded chain is actually a pseudo‐translation, with the mol­ecules alternating in type. Two counterdirectional pairs of chains proceed through each cell [O⋯O = 2.743 (2) and 2.683 (2) Å, and O—H⋯O = 171 (3) and 157 (3)°]. Three intermolecular C—H⋯O close contacts were found, involving all three O atoms of one of the mol­ecules.