2-(2-Hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-6-oxocyclohex-1-en-1-yl)-4-oxo-4-phenylbutanoic acid (dimedone adduct with β-benzoylacrylic acid) reacted with ethylenediamine and benzidine to give bis-quinoline derivatives. In the reaction with tryptamine a product containing hexahydroquinoline and indole fragments was obtained, while the reaction with phenylhydrazine hydrochloride afforded pyridazine derivative. The reactions with o-and p-phenylenediamines involved retro-Michael decomposition of the initial adduct and formation of enamino derivatives of dimedone. X = CH 2 CH 2 (a), p-C 6 H 4 C 6 H 4 -p′ (b).Polycarbonyl compounds derived from cyclic 1,3-diketones and electron-deficient 1,2-disubstituted ethylenes possess 1,3-, 1,4-, or 1,5-dicarbonyl fragment and are convenient model structures for various heterocyclizations, e.g., in reactions with nitrogencentered nucleophiles. These reactions could lead to the formation of heterocyclic compounds belonging to the pyrrole, quinoline, pyrroloquinoline, and pyridazine series, and they attract much interest from the viewpoint of molecular design. Some products obtained as a result of the above heterocyclization are important as potential physiologically active substances. For example, data on the use of tetra-and hexahydroquinoline derivatives as analgesic, antiallergic, antiphlogistic, and antipyretic agents have been reported [1-3].It was shown previously that 2-(2-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-6-oxocyclohex-1-en-1-yl)-4-oxo-4-phenylbutanoic acid (I, Michael adduct of dimedone and β-benzoylacrylic acid) reacts with ammonia to give pyrrolo-[4,3,2-de]quinoline derivative [4] and that hexahydroquinoline derivatives are formed in reactions of I with primary amines [5]. N-Heterocyclizations of other polycarbonyl compounds, products of Michael addition of dimedone to 1,2-dibenzoylethylene [6] and 1,1-diacetyl-2-benzoylethylene [7], were also studied, and the resulting nitrogen-containing heterocycles were identified as pyrrole, quinoline, and pyrrolo-[3,4-c]quinoline derivatives.In the present work we examined reactions of adduct I with some nitrogen-centered binucleophiles, in particular ethylenediamine, benzidine, phenylhydrazine hydrochloride, o-and p-phenylenediamines, and a biogenic amine, tryptamine, with a view to determine their regioselectivity. The reactions with ethylenediamine and benzidine were carried out by heating the reactants in boiling acetic acid; the substrate-diamine molar ratio was 1 : 1.5 for ethylenediamine and 2 : 1 for benzidine. As a result, we obtained the corresponding bis-quinoline derivatives IIa and IIb (Scheme 1);