3,3′,5,5′-Tetranitrobiphenyl

The title compound, C(12)H(6)N(4)O(8), is a biphenyl system that was synthesized as a building block for a new series of antimalarial compounds. The aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 45.5 (2)degrees, and intermolecular short O center dot center dot center dot O contacts form a chain along the b axis. The strength of the interactions involved in this chain cause one of the rings to be slightly distorted, with the torsion angle between the nitro groups being 23.4 (2)degrees, whereas, in the other ring, both nitro systems are parallel, forming an angle of 9.6 (2)degrees with the plane of the aromatic ring to which they are bound. Furthermore, the three ring C atoms around the ring-ring linkage belong to a plane inclined by 4.5 (1)degrees in relation to the plane containing the other three C atoms, i.e. (NO(2)-)C-C-C(NO(2)). This distortion of the ring causes uncommonly short intermolecular O center dot center dot center dot O [3.038 (2) angstrom] and O center dot center dot center dot C [3.000 (4) and 3.214 (1) angstrom] contacts.