Crystal structure of (Z)-2,3-di­chloro-1,4-bis­(4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)but-2-ene-1,4-dione

The title compound, C(18)H(14)Cl(2)O(4), adopts a Z conformation around the cental C=C bond. The two aromatic rings of the mol­ecule are nearly perpendicular to each other, with a dihedral angle between of 86.22 (14)°. The meth­oxy substituents lie close to the plane of the attached benzene rings. The C(ar)—C(ar)—O—C(Me) torsion angles are −2.4 (7) and 7.5 (6)°. Weak C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules forming a three-dimensional network. The crystal packing also displays short [3.160 (3) Å] Cl⋯O halogen-bonding contacts between mol­ecules related by the screw axis. The structure exhibits disorder of one carbonyl O atom with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.21 (6):0.79 (6).