Abstract Tricyclic pyrimidine betaines 2, which are obtained from the reaction of 2-anilino quinolines (4) and 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenyl malonates (3) rearrange at temperatures above 200° C via ketene intermediates. Formation of either the ketene 11 or the acylketene 16 depends upon the reaction medium (2, 4, 6-trichlorophenol or diphenyl ether as solvent). The structures of the resulting rearranged products 6 or 7, resp., were established in the ...