2,6-Di­chloro-4-nitro­toluene

The title compound, C7H5Cl2NO2 [systematic name: 1,3-di­chloro-2-methyl-5-nitro­benzene], crystallizes in the chiral space group P212121 with a Flack parameter of −0.03 (5). The methyl C atom, the Cl atoms and the N atom of the nitro substituent all lie extremely close to the plane of the benzene ring; the deviations are 0.028 (3) A for the methyl C atom, −0.016 (1) and 0.007 (1) A for the two Cl atoms, and −0.017 (3) A for the nitro N atom. Hence, no significant steric hindrance of the methyl group by the ortho halogen atoms is observed. The nitro group is inclined to the benzene ring by 9.8 (3)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ab plane.