Intermolecular interactions in the chiral and racemic forms of 3‐­hydroxy‐2‐(1‐oxoisoindolin‐2‐yl)­butanoic acid derived from threonine

The title compounds, C₁₂H₁₃NO₄, are derived from l ‐threonine and dl ‐threonine, respectively. Hydro­gen bonding in the chiral derivative, (2S/3R)‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐(1‐oxoisoindolin‐2‐yl)­butanoic acid, consists of O—H_acid?O_alkyl—H?O=C_indole chains [O?O 2.659 (3) and 2.718 (3) Å], Csp³—H?O and three C—H?π_arene interactions. In the (2R,3S/2S,3R) racemate, conventional carboxylic acid hydrogen bonding as cyclical (O—H?O=C)₂ [graph set R₂²(8)] is present, with O_alkyl—H?O=C_indole, Csp³—H?O and C—H?π_arene interactions. The COOH group geometry differs between the two forms, with C—O, C=O, C—C—O and C—C=O bond lengths and angles of 1.322 (3) and 1.193 (3) Å, and 109.7 (2) and 125.4 (3)°, respectively, in the chiral structure, and 1.2961 (17) and 1.2210 (18) Å, and 113.29 (12) and 122.63 (13)°, respectively, in the racemate structure. The O—C=O angles of 124.9 (3) and 124.05 (14)° are similar. The differences arise from the contrasting COOH hydrogen‐bonding environments in the two structures.