REACTIONS OF SODIUM CYANODITHIOFORMATE WITH MONOSUBSTITUTED HYDRAZINES

Sodium cyanodithioformate (1) reacts with methylhydrazine (2) only in the presence of H2S to give the new, zwitterionic thiooxamic acid 1-(2 -methylhydrazide) 2-(2-methylhydrazone) (3) in good yield, The reactio n of 1 with phenylhydrazine (5) gives a mixture of the zwitterionic th iooxamic acid 1-(2-phenylhydrazide) 2-(2-phenylhydrazone) (6b) and the non-zwitterionic glyoxylamide bis(phenylhydrazone) (7). The mechanism of the formation of 3 and 6b is discussed. X-ray structural data of 3 and 6b are given.