The Pinner salt 2 derived from alpha-azidoacetonitrile by sequential treatment with triethylamine, triphenylphosphine and acyl chlorides or isothiocyanates was converted into the corresponding imidazole 5 or 6, respectively. The crystal structure of 6a has been determined by X-ray diffraction methods. Dimers of centrosymmetrically related molecules, linked by N-H...N bonds, join together to infinite chains through N-H...S=C halogen interactions.