SummaryPhenylglycine esters react with pyruvic acid to give u-met hylsuccinic amides 9 instead of the expected Schiff bases 8, analogously to p-anisidine but unlike aniline.Aza-allylic carbanions (1) are considered important intermediates in organic synthesis2), their generation however suffers from the general disadvantage that the bases used are rather sophisticated (alkali amides, organolithiums, alkali silylamides), difficult to handle in large scale preparations. Access to anions 1 might be possible using conventional bases (alkoxides) provided that electronwithdrawing groups X and/or Y are placed at the end of the aza-allylic chain (e.g. in 2). Carboxy or carbalkoxy azomethines 3 (Y = COOH or COOAlk) respond to this