(E)-1-Nitro-4-(2-nitro­ethen­yl)benzene

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(8)H(6)N(2)O(4), consists of two independent mol­ecules with similar geometries, each adopting a trans configuration about the olefinic double bond. The two mol­ecules are both almost planar (r.m.s. deviations = 0.034 and 0.035 Å) and form a dihedral angle of 83.62 (2)°. Short N⋯O contacts [2.834 (3)–2.861 (3) Å] are observed between the nitro groups of neighbouring mol­ecules, with the O atom located directly atop the p orbital of the N atom. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are linked into a three-dimensional network by the N⋯O inter­actions and by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.