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organic compounds
In the title compound, C8H5NO4, the heterocycle is planar within 0.02 Å, and the nitro group plane makes an angle of 10.0 (1)° to it. Dipolar interactions and possible weak C-HO hydrogen bonding feature in the crystal packing. In a series of phthalides, bond lengths in the lactone ring can be related to substituent effects; in the title compound the nitro group exerts less influence than it does in the homologous 3-nitromethylenephthalide.