Diethyl 2‐oxo‐4,5‐di­phenyl­cyclo­pentane‐1,3‐di­carboxyl­ate

The title compound, C23H20O5, is one of a series of soluble precursors to electroluminescent conjugated polymers as well as leading to helical structures. The geometries of the ring systems are within normal limits, as are those of the ethyl esters. There are few close contacts within the mol­ecule, leading one to rationalize the overall geometry arising from pure steric interactions without any attractive forces such as hydrogen bonding.