X-ray crystallography unequivocally shows that protection of the free hydroxyl group of 3,5-O-benzylidene-d-xylono-1,4-lactone with diphenyldiazomethane proceeded smoothly to give the title compound, C25H22O5, with no accompanying epimerization. Unlike the analogously protected lyxono lactone, the isomeric xylono lactone has two molecules present in the asymmetric unit (Z′ = 2). The 5-ring lactones adopt envelope conformations and the 6-ring ketals adopt chair conformations.