1-[2-(4-nitrophenoxy)acetyl]pyrrolidin-2-one: an antiamnesic agent

The title compound, C(12)H(12)N(2)O(5), is a potential antiamnesic agent. The pyrrolidinone ring has an envelope conformation, and the central moiety is almost coplanar with the planes of the phenyl and pyrrolidinone rings. In the crystal structure, weak intermolecular C--H...O interactions link the molecules into a complex network that can be described by R(2)(2)(X) rings (X = 16, 20 and 26) and a C(12) chain.