Various 1,3-dienes when treated with a solution of cerium(IV) ammonium nitr
ate and ammonium thiocyanate in acetonitrile afforded the isothiocyanatothi
ocyanates via a [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement. Electron rich dienes affor
ded the gamma -thiocyanato-alpha,beta -unsaturated carbonyl compounds under
similar experimental conditions.