Crystal and molecular structure of a phospholipid component: L-alpha-glycerophosphorylcholine cadmium chloride trihydrate.

The structure of L-alpha-glycerophosphorylcholine cadmium chloride trihydrate has been determined by the conventional, single-crystal, x-ray diffraction technique. The phospholipid component displays the characteristic gauche conformation for the choline residue and the gauche-gauche conformation for the glycerol moiety. Therefore, a possible model for the structures of phospholipids is similar to that proposed by Finean.