Synthesis and Photolysis of l,CDialkyl-l,4-dihydro-5H-tetrnzol-5-ones and -thiones. A Novel Approach to Diaziridinones and Carbodiirnides *)The regioselective alkylation of the l-tert-butyl-l,4-dihydro-5H-tetrazol-5-one (7) produced the 1,4-dialkyltetrazolones 8b and c. The electron impact induced decomposition of the known, most simple tetrazolone 8a proceeded via a [3 + 2]cycloelimination into methyl azide and methyl isocyanate. On photolysis in acetonitrile or pentane, the tetrazolones 8 lost nitrogen and formed 1,2-dialkyldiaziridinones 24, of which 24c was isolated in pure form. Very reactive alkylating reagents, e. g. methyl fluorosulfonate, trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, or rerr-butyl alcohol/ tetrafluoroboric acid in ether, preferentially alkylated N-3 of l-methyl-5-(methylthio)-lHtetrazole (9a); dimethyl sulfate reacted almost equally at N-3 or N-4. In the mixture of the salts 10a and 11s obtained in this way, only l l a was demethylated at the sulfur atom by triethylamine in acetonitrile affording the easily separable tetrazolethione 59. Diazomethane methylated 1-rerfbutyl-l,4-dihydro-5H-tetrazole-5-thione (18b) predominantly at the sulfur atom. In contrast, 2-diazopropane gave approximately equal fractions of S-alkylation and N-Calkylation producing the tetrazolethione 5c. Besides fragment ions resulting from [3 + 2]cycloelimination products, in Chem. Ber. 114(1981)