Derivatives of1,1-dimethyl-1-(2-hydroxypropyl) amine benzoylformimide (BFI and 1a-c) were synthesized from 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, propylene oxide, and p-substituted benzoylformic acid ester, respectively, and their activity as thermal/photolatent bases and photoradical initiators was studied in detail. Their thermal decomposition activity increased by the electron-donating substituents on the benzene ring, being in order of 1a (p-NMe 2 ) > 1b (p-MeO) > BFI (H) > 1c (p-NO 2 ). Photolysis activities were also affected by the substituents, in the following order: 1b > BFI > 1a > 1c. Thermal and photoinduced base-catalyzed polymerization of the epoxide/thiol sys-tem and photoradical polymerization of a vinyl monomer, 2hydroxylethyl methacrylate, were carried out by using the aminimides as latent initiators. Their activity as thermal base and photobase/radical initiators could be correlated to their thermal decomposition and the photolysis activity, respectively. V C 2013