Methyl gallate

The crystal structure of the title compound (systematic name: methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate), C8H8O5, is composed of essentially planar molecules [maximum departures from the mean carbon and oxygen skeleton plane of 0.0348 (10) angstrom]. The H atoms of the three hydroxyl groups, which function as hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors simultaneously, are oriented in the same direction around the aromatic ring. In addition to two intramolecular hydrogen bonds, each molecule is hydrogen bonded to six others, creating a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network.