Drenkard S, Ferris J, Eschenmoser A
Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule, Zürich.
Helv Chim Acta. 1990;73:1373-90. doi: 10.1002/hlca.19900730524.
2-Aminopropenenitrile in solvents such as MeCN, MeOH, or H2O is photoisomerized by UV light to racemic aziridine-2-carbonitrile (rac-2); the larger part of the starting material, however, fragments to HCN and MeCN. The observed photocyclization constitutes a structural connection within an ensemble of C3H4N2 compounds considered to be potentially relevant to prebiotic chemistry.
