Abstract. An approach to the class of 2-aminoquinoline-1-oxides is given based on reductive cyclization of appropriate substituted 3-(2-nitrophenyl) acrylonitriles. Thus, 2- nitrobenzylidene compounds 1 ad have been reductively cyclized by H2/Pt02 or H2/Pd-C under normal conditions to form N-oxides 2 ad.'H-NMR data show that I d has to be regarded as ethyl (Z)-2-cyano-3-hydroxy-3-(2-nitrophenyl) acrylate.