Abstract Action of guanidine or urea on cyclohexanone-, cyclopentanone-, cycloheptanone- and acetonecyanohydrine 3 a− 3 d generates very different products: 3 a reacts with guanidine in DMF to yield 1, 3-diazaspiro [4.5] decane-2, 4-diimine (5 a). Heating the components without solvent affords 7, 14-diazadispiro [5.1. 5.2] pentadecan-15-one (7) 15– 17, the guanidine not participating in the reaction; similarly 3 b is transformed by ...