Nitrile imines and nitrile ylides: rearrangements of benzonitrile N-methylimine and benzonitrile dimethylmethylide to azabutadienes, carbodiimides, and ketenimines. Chemical activation in thermolysis of azirenes, tetrazoles, oxazolones, isoxazolones, and oxadiazolones.

Flash vacuum thermolysis (FVT) of 1-methyl-5-phenyltetrazole (5b), 2-methyl-5-phenyltetrazole (1b), and 3-methyl-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (3b) affords the nitrile imine (2b), which rearranges in part to N-methyl-N'-phenylcarbodiimide (7b). Another part of 2b undergoes a 1,4-H shift to the diazabutadiene (13). 13 undergoes two chemically activated decompositions, to benzonitrile and CH2═NH and to styrene and N2.