The synthesis of alpha-substituted arylimino esters or nitriles via an ipso nucleophilic aromatic substitution of carbanions of alpha-imino esters or nitriles on haloarenetricarbonylchromium complexes is reported: conformational studies of these complexes in solution have been studied and X-ray structures of three of these complexes indicated that the nitrile and ester groups are anti-periplanar to the tricarbonylchromium entity.