nitrogen electronically and facilitate the formation of isomaleimides in the dehydration of N-substituted maleamic acids. The thermal isomerization of N-benzyloxyisomaleimide to the maleimide has been successful only in N,N-dimethylformamide. Further the conversion of isomaleimide to maleimide was performed via the addition of hydrogen bromide to isomaleimide followed by isomerization and dehydrobromination