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We discovered a new method to methylate tertiary amines such as urotropine, triethylamine, pyridine, 2-methylpyridine, 4-acetylpyridine, and isonicotinamide, up to quaternary ammonium compounds, with 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethane-1-ide being the counterion. Methyl-1,3,5,7-tetraazaadamantan-1-ium 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethane-1-ide, N,N-diethyl-N-methylethanaminium 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethane-1-ide, and substituted-methylpyridinium 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethane-1-ides were synthesized. Quaternary ammonium compounds of 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxothane-1-ide were synthesized within a single stage by stirring methanol solutions of tertiary amines with ethene-1,1,2,2-tetracarbonitrile (ETCN) at room temperature. In the reaction of ETCN with tertiary amines in methanol, processes occur that form the 1,1-dicyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethane-1-ide fragment with simultaneous N-methylation. Crystal structures based on X-ray diffraction analysis of the obtained compounds were studied.

2-Acyl-1,1,3,3-tetracyanopropenides undergo intermolecular reductive heterocyclization under the action of mercaptoethanol or sodium borohydride, resulting in the formation of 2-[5-amino-4-cyano-2-alkyl(aryl)furan-3(2 H ]-ylidene)malononitriles in high yields and excellent purities, These are of interest as potential precursors to organic nonlinear optical (NLO) materials and prospective antibiofilm antimicrobial agents.