Abstract: | The reaction of 3-amino-2,4-diethoxycarbonylcrotononitrile with cinnamonitrile derivatives afforded the pyrimidines 5a--d and not the pyridines 4 as expected from literature. Similarly pyrimidines 5e--h were produced when 3-amino-2,4-dicyanocrotononitrile was treated with the same reagent. The structure was established based on MS and high resolution 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy. |