4-(2-Methyl-anilino)pent-3-en-2-one.

The title enamino ketone, C(12)H(15)NO, a derivative of 4-(phenyl-amino)-pent-3-en-2-one, presents a roughly planar [greatest displacement of an atom from the pentenone plane is 0.033 (2) Å] pentenone backbone, enhanced by an intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bond; the asymmetry in C-C distances in the group suggests the presence of unsaturated bonds. The overall geometry in the free ligand differs significantly from that in other reported compounds, in which it is coordinated to rhodium; this is reflected in the bond distances [the N⋯O distance is significantly increased (0.2 Å) upon coordination to the metal] and the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the pentenone backbone [49.53 (5)°]. All of the methyl goups are rotationally disordered over two orientations of equal occupancy.