A cis-stilbene derivative

The title compound, 4'-methoxy-alpha,2,3',4-tetranitrostilbene, C15H10N4O9, crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P2(1)/c with one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The phenyl rings are inclined to one another and form a dihedral angle of 57.4 (1)degrees. The size of this angle is a result of intermolecular C-H...O interactions involving the phenyl H atoms. The torsion angle between the phenyl rings, -7.5 (3)degrees, indicates a cis geometry between them. The methoxy group is almost coplanar with the phenyl ring, and the nitro groups are twisted with respect to the phenyl rings because of the short H...O contacts. The crystal packing is stabilized by C-H...O hydrogen bonds, and the intermolecular hydrogen bonds form a C(12) graph-set chain running along the [010] direction.