Summary The orientation of the nitro groups in dinitrodibenzanthrone produced by nitration of dibenzanthrone has not been established so far. The suggestion of Simonsen et al. 5 that the nitro groups are in the 3∶ 12-positions has been disproved by the unambiguous synthesis of 3∶ 12-diaminodibenzanthrone (IV), which was found to be different from the diamino derivative obtained by the reduction of the above dinitrodibenzanthrone. The ...