Reaction of alpha methylbromo enoate with dimethyl sulfide forms dimethyl sulfide bromide salt, which adds to azodicarboxylate via [3+2] cycloaddition to afford dihydropyrazole.

review paper on mitsunobu reaction by the man himself

Sulfonylimidate reacts with various electrophiles such as imines (aryl, heterocyclic, aliphatic, vinylic), azodicarboxylate and methyl acrylate to generate new C-C/N bonds. High anti-selectivity is seen for mannich reactions. Treatment with DBU or Red-Al reveals ester or aldehyde, respectively, following hydrolysis of sulfonylimidate. Note the utilization of the sulfonylimidate (as opposed to carbonyls with beta-EWGs) functionality to significantly lower the pKa of the alpha proton.

Chiral Iridium-Amido complex catalyzes asymmetric amination of alpha-cyanoacetate with azodicarboxylate. The mechanism involves deprotonation of alpha-proton by amido amine of the N-bound nitrile complex, followed by protonation of azodicarboxylate.