Abstract A new non-centrosymmetricpolymorph of distrontium D, l-dimalatepentahydrate (DSM) with chemical formula Sr2(C4H4O5)2·5H2O is grown by conventional gel method for the first time. Transparent block like crystals were obtained. Single crystal X-ray Diffraction analysis was done to determine the structure and the crystal belongs to triclinic system, P1 space group with cell dimensions a=6.3815(3) Å, b=7.7753(3) Å, c=9.0309(4) Å, α=73.528(2)°, β=75.608(2)°, γ=86.901(2)°. Hydrogen bonding stabilises the three dimensional polymeric crystal structure. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopic method was utilised for the analysis of various functional groups present in the complex. The stoichiometry of the complex was confirmed by elemental analysis. Thermal properties of the crystal were studied by TGA/DTA. The optical transparency of the crystal was studied using UV-visible absorption spectra. The optical band gap is found to be 5.39 eV.The biological activity of the complex was screened against different bacteria using the disc-diffusion method. DSM is found to have antibacterial activity against groups of bacteria excluding Escherichia coli. © 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.