In the title compound, C8H3N3O2 (systematic name: 4-nitro-benzene-1,2-dicarbo-nitrile), the nitro group is twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring to which it is attached [O-N-Cring-Cring torsion angle = 9.80 (13)°]. In the crystal packing, supra-molecular layers with a zigzag topology in the ac plane are sustained by C-H⋯N inter-actions.
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.