2-（Dimethylamino）-1,3-dithiocyanatopropane（1） has been prepared as a key intermediate synthesizing a natural insecticide Cartap by the reaction of 1-dimethylamino-2,3-dichloropropane with sodium thiocyanate. The crystal structures of compound 1 and its isomer 1-（dimethylamino）-2,3-dithiocyanotopropane（2） formed during the reaction were determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Bond lengths in both the compounds are common and fall within normal ranges. There are some weak C―H×××N hydrogen bonds in the lattice of compound 1, which makes it form a three-dimensional network, which stabilize the crystal structure. No classic hydrogen bonds were founded in its isomer（2）, only van der Waals forces contribute to the stability of the structure. In addition, DFT and MP2 calculations with 6-311＋G（d, p） basis set have also been carried out to investigate the thermodynamic properties of compounds 1 and 2. The research will be applied to the further investigation of the tautomerization of compounds 1 and 2.
YU Guan-ping MA Yi LIU Zhuo WANG Gang LI Zheng-ming
