X-ray diffraction data were used to determine the crystal structure of a hydrated calcium bromide complex of myo-inositol. Crystals of C6H1,_O6. CaBr2.5H20 are triclinic, space group PT, with a= 7.513 (3), b = 8"280 (3), c = 15.035 (3) A,, e = 70.43 (3), fl = 82"06 (3), 7 = 68"08 (4) °, Z = 2, 0(obs) = 1-90 and 0(calc) = 1-910 g cm -3. Intensity data for 2724 independent reflections were collected with an automated diffractometer by use of nickel-filtered copper radiation. A trial structure, obtained by direct and Fourier methods, was refined by least-squares to R = 0.039. The calcium ion binds four water molecules and two symmetry-related myo-inositol molecules. One myo-inositol molecule is coordinated to the calcium ion through its 0(2) and 0(3) hydroxyl groups, and the second is coordinated through its 0(5) and 0(6) hydroxyl groups. The four hydroxyl groups and four water molecules that interact with the calcium ion form a distorted square-antiprism coordination polyhedron. A comparison of this and other crystal structures of myo-inositol indicates that the calcium interactions produce small distortions in the conformation of the sugar. At both chelation sites, there are changes ranging up to 15 ~ in torsion angles and up to 5 ° in bond angles, with resultant decreases of about 0.2 A in the intramolecular spacing between the hydroxyl groups that are chelated to calcium. These conformational changes are consistent with those observed in other crystal structures of calcium-sugar complexes.