2-Bromo-4-nitropyridine N-oxide is orthorhombic, space group Pbca, with eight molecules per unit cell of dimensions a = 5.979.1/, b = 9.899.1/, c = 23.249.5/Å. The Br ion is nearly coplanar with the pyridine ring, while the two oxygen atoms of the nitro group are displaced above and below the ring by (−0.214Å) and (+0.053Å). The hydrogen bond of the type C -H· · ·O links the molecules into pairs around centers of symmetry. These dimers, arranged into layers related by glide planes, are held together solely by contacts of the van der Waals type. The polarized Fourier transform IR and Raman spectra, measured in the regions 30-3500 and 80-3500 cm −1 , respectively, are correlated with x-ray structural data. Comparison of the spectrum of the dissolved sample with the spectra obtained from the polycrystalline sample and single crystals shows the attractive character of the intermolecular C -H· · ·O contacts for these molecules. The temperature-dependent IR spectra suggest the presence of orientational disorder at higher temperatures.