The Schiff base condensation reaction of 1,2-diaminoethane with a series of 2-acetylcycloalkanones (from cyclopentanone to cyclooctanone) has been investigated and the products characterized by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. The site of attack of the amino groups, i.e., ring ketone or acetyl ketone, is determined primarily by ring size. 2-Acetylcyclohexanone yields two products in ca. 9:1 ratio, the major product where the two amino groups attack at the ring ketones of two different cyclohexanone molecules, and the minor product where one amino group attacks one ring carbonyl of one cyclohexanone while the second amino group attacks the acetyl group of another. 2-Acetylcyclopentanone yields all three possible products with the major product involving attack at the acetyl groups of two different cyclopentanones. The corresponding reactions for 2-acetylcycloheptanone and 2-acetylcyclooctanone each give a single product corresponding to attack at the acetyl groups of two different cycloalkanones. Similar product distributions are observed for the reactions of the different 2-acetylcycloalkanones with 1,4-diaminobutane.Keywords: Schiff base reactions, diketones, 2D NMR.