The compound is a yellow solid that is soluble in organic solvents.

The directing effect of the nitro group of nitrobenzene leads to 93% of the product resulting from nitration at the meta-position.

[1] Reduction of 1,3-dinitrobenzene with sodium sulfide in aqueous solution leads to 3-nitroaniline.

Further reduction with iron and hydrochloric acid (HCl) gives m-phenylenediamine.

[2] 1,3-Dinitrobenzene can be nitrated to 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene with nitronium tetrafluoroborate in fluorosulfuric acid at 150 °C.