Dimethyl l, l-dicyanoethene-2, 2-dicar~~~ te (DDED), a new electrophilic tetrasubstituted olefin, wa~ synthesized via a Knoevenagel condensation. DDED spontaneously copolymerizes with electron-rich olefins such as styrene and p-methylstyrene. In the copolymerization, the bulky growing styryl radicals add to the dicyano-bearing carbon of DDED. Cyclobutane adducta are obtained in thermal reactions with styrene, p- ...
