oxidation of DHI in the presence of TU and were identified as the 3- and 2-substituted adducts 1 and 2, the dimer 3, and the trimer 4. Similar reactions carried out on DHICA yielded the 4-substituted adduct 5, the dimer 6, and the trimer 7. A new mechanistic scheme for the incorporation of TU into growing melanin is proposed, which envisages nucleophilic attack of the thioureylene moiety of TU to transient