3-Amino-1-methyl-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-2,4-dicarbonitrile

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(17)H(13)N(3), contains two independent mol-ecules, which are non-planar as they are buckled owing to the ethyl-ene portion. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 26.4 (1)° in one mol-ecule and 32.9 (1)° in the other. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are disposed about a false inversion center, and are linked by two N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, generating a dimer. The dimers are linked by further N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, resulting in a chain that runs along the longest axis of the ortho-rhom-bic unit cell.