2-(2-Methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethyl methane-sulfonate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C7H11N3O5S, contains two independent mol­ecules with virtually identical conformations. The imidazole rings of both mol­ecules are essentially planar (r.m.s. deviations = 0.0019 and 0.0038 A), with a dihedral angle 9.25 (19)° between them. The nitro groups are oriented at 4.5 (2) and 6.44 (13)° with respect to the imidazole rings. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked to form a three-dimensional framework by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds.