Toluene solutions of tricyanomethanimine, 1, and methyl 3-aza-2, 3-dicyanoacrylate, 2, were synthesized by thermal decomposition of, respectively, 2, 2-diazido-l, 1-dicyanoethylene and methyl 3, 3-diazido-Z-cyanoacrylate. Diethyl (cyanoimino) malonate, 3, was obtained from the reaction of diethyl ketomalonate with bis (trimethy1-sily1) carbodiimide. None of these electrophilic imines could be isolated, because oligomerization occurred in every case. ...
