Decahydroxycyclopentane

Decahydroxycyclopentane is an organic compound with formula C5O10H10 or C5(OH)10. It is a fivefold geminal diol on a cyclopentane backbone.

The compound can be regarded as the fivefold hydrate of cyclopentanepentone. Indeed, the product referred to in the literature and trade as "cyclopentanepentone pentahydrate" (C5O5*5H2O) is now believed to be the decahydroxycyclopentane.

The compound was synthesized by Heinrich Will in 1861, although for a long time it was believed to be a hydrate of C5O5. It can be prepared by oxidation of croconic acid C5O3(OH)2 with nitric acid. It can be isolated as water-soluble colorless crystals that melt with dehydration at about 115 °C, and slowly decompose at about 160 °C.