Ethyl (2E)-2-cyano-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylate

In the title compound, C13H13NO3, the conformation across the C=C bond is synperiplanar, the torsion angle of the segment C(ring)-C=C-C(N) being 3.2 (5)degrees. In the crystal, molecules are linked into inversion dimers, arranged in a zigzag pattern, through two C-H center dot center dot center dot center dot O interactions generating R-2(2)(10) and R-2(2)(14) motifs. These dimers are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the crystal structure. The molecules are further linked along the c axis through weak C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions, and weak pi center dot center dot center dot pi interactions [centroid-centroid separation = 3.9986 (17)angstrom] are also observed.