Solid‐state transformation of 4,2′‐an­hydro‐5‐(β‐d‐arabino­furan­osyl)­uracil dihydrate to 4,2′‐an­hydro‐5‐(β‐d‐arabino­furan­osyl)­uracil mono­hydrate

Crystals of 4,2′‐an­hydro‐5‐(β‐d ‐arabino­furan­osyl)­uracil, (I), obtained from an aqueous solution, were characterized as the dihydrate, C₉H₁₀N₂O₅·2H₂O, (Ia). In air, these crystals slowly transform to the mono­hydrate, C₉H₁₀N₂O₅·H₂O, (Ib), but remain crystalline. The solid‐state transformation proceeds with the loss of one water mol­ecule and a rearrangement of hydrogen‐bonded layers of mol­ecules. The furan­ose ring in (I) has an approximate C4′‐exo,O4′‐endo twist conformation. The central five‐membered ring is slightly puckered. The uracil group is planar within experimental uncertainty.