An easily feasible synthesis for bis-amidines of type 3 was developed via an aminolysis reaction of imidoyl chlorides 1 with gaseous ammonia. Depending on the nature of the electrophilic cyclization reagent, these amidines show a different reactivity. On treatment with orthoesters, the fused imidazoles 5 were obtained which involved the participation of two different kinds of nitrogen atoms in the cyclization. In contrast to this, carboxylic acid chlorides are able to react selectively at the NH 2 -groups under formation of the fulvenoid 4H-imidazoles 6. The same regioselectivity was observed for chlorodimethylimmonium chloride thus leading, via the dimerization of cyclic orthoamides, to the 1,4,5,8-tetraazafulvalenes 8.Bis-amidines of type 2 are versatile building blocks for several heterocycles 1-3 as well as being ligands for catalytical active metals. 4-6 Their syntheses are easily feasible by aminolysis reactions of bis-imidoylchlorides 1 with various amines. In contrast to this, there exist only a few bisamidines of type 3 which possess two primary NH 2 groups. A limiting factor for this might be the inconvenient handling of dicyane as the starting material. Thus, only a small number of amidines 3 have been reported as being synthesized by amine additions to dicyane 7-9 or by aminolysis reactions of derivatives of dicyane as imino esters 10-15 or diiminosuccinonitrile. 16 However, another route to 3 starting from bis-imidoylchlorides 1 proceeds via an aminolysis reaction with ammonia. 17 According to an existing protocol 17 in the course of which ethanol has been employed as the solvent only a small amount of amidine 3a was obtained, in addition to phenyl isonitrile and tarry material. Obviously, imidoylchlorides of type 1 behave similarly to oxalyl chloride, which in the presence of nucleophiles often undergoes a C-C cleavage reaction.We report here on the aminolysis of bis-electrophiles 1 with gaseous ammonia to give the desired amidines 3 in high yields. On treatment of a suspension of bis-imidoylchlorides 1 in dry THF with a stream of dried gaseous ammonia, the products 3a-g were formed in a smooth reaction (Scheme 1). The progress of this aminolysis can be followed by fading of the intensive yellow color of the reaction mixture and was effectively monitored by TLC. Simple recrystallization gives the amidines 3a-g as white to yellowish crystals in high purity. The application of elevated pressure (5 bar, glas autoclave) lead to higher yields and a shortening of the reaction times (1 hour, starting from 0.1 mol of 1). The X-ray structural determination of 3b revealed a transoid arrangement of both aryl groups (Figure 1). The C=N fragments are located at the aromatic residues whereas the bond length for C-NH 2 corresponds to a typical C-N single bond. Contrary to the solid state structures, in solution, 3 undergoes facile E/Z-interconversion and prototropic processes called "tautomeric rotations". 18 NMR experiments performed at -60°C for the trifluoromethyl substituted derivative 3g revealed the coexiste...