Methyl (Z)-2-chloro-3-(2-methoxy­carbonyl­phen­yl)prop-2-enoate

In the title compound, C(12)H(11)ClO(4), the propenoate C=C bond is in the Z configuration. The propenoate C=O and C=C groups are essentially coplanar [C=C—C=O torsion angle = 172.4 (3)°] with the O atom synperiplanar to the Cl atom. However, the π systems of the aromatic ring and chloro­propenoate substituent are not coplanar; the corresponding dihedral angle is 51.5 (1)°. The noncoplanarity is likely due to steric inter­actions between the propenoate H atom and the ortho-methoxy­carbonyl group on the aromatic ring. Even in the observed noncoplanar conformation, the ortho C=O to H distance (2.40 Å) is less than the sum of the van der Waals radii of O and H (2.65 Å).