3-Methyl-2-nitro-aniline.

The structure of the title compound, C7H8N2O2, is reported and completes structural characterization for the family of methyl-2-nitro-aniline isomers. Bond lengths and angles conform to reported values in other methyl-2-nitro-aniline structures, except for the large angle [36.82 (4)°] formed between the phenyl ring and nitro group mean planes. This large angle is due to steric crowding by the neighboring methyl group, a result that is confirmed by an ab initio geometry optimization in vacuo that yields a similar inter-planar angle (38.28°). In the extended structure, the mol-ecules form inversion-related pairs that belong to neighboring supra-molecular spiral stacks parallel to c. The stacks form around a 41 axis with N-H⋯N hydrogen bonding between mol-ecules related by -1/4 of a turn at the core and peripheral N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds to mol-ecules related by +3/4 of a turn.