4,5-Dimethoxy­cyclo­pent-4-ene-1,2,3-trione

The title compound (alternative name dimethyl croconate), C₇H₆O₅, is the first example of a croconate ether. The mol­ecule is essentially planar and exhibits a local symmetry (C_2v) that is different from that shown by the croconate dianion (C_5h), indicating that the geometry of these compounds is very sensitive to the electric charge state.