Three polymorphs (α, β, and δ) of d‐mannitol at 100 K

In the monoclinic δ polymorph of d ‐mannitol, C₆H₁₄O₆, both the mol­ecule and the packing have approximate twofold rotational symmetry. The P2₁ structure thus approximates space group C222₁, and the α′ polymorph, previously reported in that space group, is almost certainly identical to the δ polymorph. However, torsion angles along the main backbone of the mol­ecule deviate from twofold symmetry by as much as 7.4 (3)° and the hydrogen‐bonding pattern does not conform to the higher symmetry. The α polymorph reported here is identical to the previously reported κ polymorph, and the low‐temperature structure of the β polymorph agrees well with previously reported room‐temperature determinations. The range of C—O bond lengths over the three polymorphs is 1.428 (2)–1.437 (4) Å, and the range of C—C distances is 1.515 (4)–1.5406 (19) Å. The δ polymorph has the highest density of the three, both at room temperature and at 100 K.