3‐(4‐Acetyl­phenyl)‐1‐(4‐nitro­phenyl)­triazene

The crystal structure of the title compound, C₁₄H₁₂N₄O₃, shows that the stereochemistry about the N=N double bond of the N=N—N(H) moiety is trans. The whole mol­ecule is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0654 Å), the interplanar angle between the phenyl rings being 0.7 (1)° and the largest interplanar angle being that between the phenyl ring and the nitro group of the 4‐nitro­phenyl substituent 11.5 (2)°]. Intermolecular N—H?O interactions between mol­ecules related by translation give rise to chains along the 110] and 10] directions, and these chains are held together by N?O π–π interactions. An unequal distribution of the double‐bond character among the N atoms suggests a delocalization of π electrons over the diazo­amine group and the adjacent aryl substituents.