S‐(4‐Nitrophenyl) 4‐nitrobenzenethiosulfonate

The title compound, C₁₂H₈N₂O₆S₂, (I), is a positional isomer of S‐(2‐nitrophenyl) 2‐nitrobenzenethiosulfonate [Glidewell, Low & Wardell (2000). Acta Cryst. B 56 , 893–905], (II). The most obvious difference between the two isomers is the rotation of the nitro groups with respect to the planes of the adjacent aryl rings. In (I), the nitro groups are only slightly rotated out of the plane of the adjacent aryl ring [2.4 (6) and 6.7 (7)°], while in (II) the nitro groups are rotated by between 37 and 52°, in every case associated with S—S—C—C torsion angles close to 90°. Other important differences between the isomers are the C—S—S(O₂)—C torsion angle [78.39 (2)° for (I) and 69.8 (3)° for (II) (mean)] and the dihedral angles between the aromatic rings [12.3 (3)° for (I) and 28.6 (3)° for (II) (mean)]. There are two types of C—H...O hydrogen bond in the structure [C...O = 3.262 (7) Å and C—H...O = 144°; C...O = 3.447 (7) Å and C—H...O = 166°] and these link the molecules into a two‐dimensional framework. The hydrogen‐bond‐acceptor properties differ between the two isomers.