Direction of nucleophilic substitution in α, β-unsaturated imino compounds with a donor substituent in the beta position

A mechanism of conversion of -aminovinyl ketones into -aminovinylimines is disclosed. It has been found that in this and a series of other reactions (various conversions of -aminovinyl ketones, -aminovinylimines, and -alkoxyvinylimino salts and their vinyl analogs, cyano compounds, etc.), the intermediate determining the course of the reaction is an ,-unsaturated imino cation. The result of the reaction depends on the site and efficiency of the nucleophilic attack by tautomeric imino salt compounds possessing an unshared electron pair distributed over the various electrophilic sites of the molecule.