Condensation of phenyl isocyanate substituted by 4-MeO, 4-Me, 4-H, 4-Br, and 2,4-(MeO)(2) with esters CH(2)(CO(2)R)CO(2)R', R = CH(2)CF(3), R' = CH(3), CH(2)CF(3), CH(CF(3))(2), or R = CH(3), R' = CH(CF(3))(2) gave 17 "amides" ArNHCOCH(CO(2)R)CO(2)R' containing three, six, or nine fluorines in the ester groups. X-ray crystallography of six of them revealed that compounds with > or =6 fluorine atoms exist in the solid state as the enols of amides ArNHC(OH)=C(CO(2)R)CO(2)R' whereas the ester with R = R' = CH(3) was shown previously to have the amide structure. In the solid enols, the OH is cis and hydrogen bonded to the better electron-donating (i.e., with fewer fluorine atoms) ester group. X-ray diffraction could not be obtained for compounds with only three fluorine atoms, i.e., R = CH(2)CF(3), R' = CH(3) but the (13)C CP-MAS spectra indicate that they have the amide structure in the solid state, whereas esters with six and nine fluorine atoms display spectra assigned to the enols. The solid enols show unsymmetrical hydrogen bonds and the expected features of push-pull alkenes, e.g., long C(alpha)=C(beta) bonds. The structure in solution depends on the number of fluorine atoms and the solvent, but only slightly on the substituents. The symmetrical systems (R = R' = CH(2)CF(3)) show signals for the amide and the enol, but all systems with R not equal R' displayed signals for the amide and for two enols, presumably the E- and Z-isomers. The [Enol I]/[Enol II] ratio is 1.6-2.9 when R = CH(2)CF(3), R' = CH(3), CH(CF(3))(2) and 4.5-5.3 when R = CH(3), R' = CH(CF(3))(2). The most abundant enol display a lower field delta(OH) and a higher field delta(NH) and assigned the E-structure with a stronger O-H.O=C(OR) hydrogen bond than in the Z-isomer. delta(OH) and delta(NH) values are nearly the same for all systems with the same cis CO(2)R group. The [Enols]/[Amide] ratio in various solvents follows the order CCl(4) > CDCl(3) > CD(3)CN > DMSO-d(6). The enols always predominate in CCl(4) and the amide is the exclusive isomer in DMSO-d(6) and the major one in CD(3)CN. In CDCl(3) the major tautomer depends on the number of fluorines. For example, in CDCl(3,) for Ar = Ph, the % enol (K(Enol)) is 35% (0.54) for R = CH(2)CF(3,) R' = CH(3), 87% (6.7) for R = R' = CH(2)CF(3), 79% (3.8) for R = CH(3), R' = CH(CF(3))(2) and 100% (> or =50) for R = CH(2)CF(3), R' = CH(CF(3))(2). (17)O and (15)N NMR spectra measured for nine of the enols are consistent with the suggested assignments. The data indicate the importance of electron withdrawal at C(beta), of intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and of low polarity solvents in stabilizing the enols. The enols of amides should no longer be regarded as esoteric species.