Amidoximes, O-alkylamidoximes, and O-acylami-doximes are directly converted to amidines by reaction with ammonium formate and Pd/C in acetic acid.The amidine unit is the key functional group in a wide range of biologically active molecules, 1 including a variety of serine protease inhibitors 2 and antimicrobial agents. 3 Amidines are typically made from nitriles by one of several routes such as the Pinner method, 3c conversion to a thioimidate 4 or by direct reaction with alkylchloroaluminium amides. 5 These processes, however, are often time consuming and require the careful exclusion of water. More conveniently, amidines can be obtained by reduction of amidoximes, which in turn are readily prepared by the reaction of a nitrile with hydroxylamine. 6 Although amidoximes have been reduced directly to amidines by transition-metal catalyzed methods, 7 the present approaches have not seen widespread use as they typically require high hydrogen pressure and heat or the use of carbon monoxide. 7c A more convenient approach involves catalytic hydrogenation of the in situ formed O-acyl derivatives at low pressure and room temperature. 8 First reported by Judkins and co-workers, 8a this indirect method for reduction of amidoximes has made the two step approach to amidines from nitriles quite attractive as demonstrated by its widespread use in recent years. 9