“…In the course of our ongoing studies (Plater & Harrison, 2013, 2014aPlater & Jackson, 2014) on new conjugated products obtained from the oxidation of aromatic amines, we attempted the oxidation of 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene, 1. As long ago as 1887, it was demonstrated (Nietzki & Hagenbach, 1887) that this compound undergoes aerial oxidation to form 2,5-diamino-1,4-benzoquinonediimine, 2. More recently, Braunstein et al (2003) have studied the oxidation of compound 1 and the related compound 2,4-diaminoresorcinol, 3, to synthesize (1E)-N-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)-5-[(2,2-dimethylpropyl)amino]-2-hydroxy-4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-iminium chloride, 4, which generates the zwitterion 5 when treated with base.…”