<p>To extend the chemical space accessible from the biomass-derived platform chemical Cyrene, enamines have been prepared and their reactions with selected electrophiles have been examined. The crystalline enamines prepared from morpholine (89% yield) and piperidine (79% yield) were stable and showed excellent reactivity with isocyanates, isothiocyanates and ketenes to give amides, thioamides or cyclobutanones, respectively.</p>