meso-4,4′-Difluoro-2,2′-{[(3aR,7aS)-2,3,3a,4,5,6,7,7a-octahydro-1H-1,3-benzimidazole-1,3-diyl]bis(methylene)}diphenol

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C21H24F2N2O2, there are two intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bonds involving the N atoms of the imidazolidine ring and the hydroxy groups. The crystal studied was a meso compound obtained by the reaction of the aminal (2S,7R,11S,16R)-1,8,10,17-tetraazapentacyclo[8.8.1.18,17.02,7.011,16]cosane with 4-fluorophenol. The imidazolidine ring has a twisted conformation with a CH—CH—N—CH2 torsion angle of 44.99 (14)° and, surprisingly, the lone pairs of the N atoms are disposed in a syn isomerism, making the title compound an exception to the typical `rabbit-ear effect' in 1,2-diamines. In the crystal, molecules are linked via C—H...F hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the c-axis direction. These chains are linked via another C—H...F hydrogen bond, forming a three-dimensional network.