Summary Arylbiguanides 2 a–e react with benzoin (1) at the pH of the base to two different products. 1 undergoes in presence of the base 2 a–e oxidation to benzil and benzoic acid, which reacts fast with the arylbiguanides 2 a–e to yield N-[4-(arylamino)-6-phenyl-1, 3, 5- triazine-2-yl] benzamides 3 a–d. After lowering the pH of the reaction mixture, the bases 2 b– e react with benzil to yield 2-[1-aryl-5-oxo-4, 4-diphenyl-2-imidazoline-2-yl] guanidine 4 b– ...