3-Alkoxy-2H-azirines 4 have been prepared by treatment of enol ethers 6 with iodine azide followed by base-catalysed elimination of HI and thermolysis of the resulting vinyl azide 5. Azirines 4 readily undergo electrophilic additions, to yield products resulting from cleavage of either the N(1)-C(3) or the N(1)-C(2) bond. Reaction of 4 with trimethylsilyl cyanide yields highly functionalized aziridines 12. Thermolysis of 4 produces C-alkoxy-N-vinylmethanimines.
Ghosez, L., Sainte, F., Rivera, M., Bernard-Henriet, C., & Gouverneur, V. (1986). Synthesis and Reactions of 3-alkoxy-2h-azirines. Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas, 105(10), 456-461. https://doi.org/10.1002/recl.19861051023 (Original work published 1986)