Abstract 1-Phenyl-1, 3-butanedione readily reacts with 3 (5)-amino-1H-pyrazoles to yield mixtures of pyrazolo [1, 5-a] pyrimidines which are identified by 1 H nmr. Selective preparation of 5-methy1-7-phenylpyrazolo [1, 5-a] pyrimidines can be achieved when 3- amino-1-pheny1-2-buten-1-one is used instead of the 1, 3-dicarbonyl precursor.