In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(14)H(12)N(2)O(2), the molecule lies about a twofold axis; two carbonyl groups and the H atoms of the N-N bond are in a trans orientation with respect to each other. In the crystal, each molecule is linked to the other and vice versa by intermolecular N-H.O hydrogen bonds between the amide hydrogen and the O atoms of neighbouring molecules to form two ten-membered rings, each of which has the graph-set motif C4R(2)(2)(10). This extends as a polymeric chain along the c axis.