In 1940 Du Pont applied for a patent on acetylene storage in many polar organic solvents, one of which was 1,3-dimethyl-2-imid azolidone.

[5] The company filed another patent on a method of synthesizing the same compound, albeit called s-dimethylethyleneurea, in 1944.

[6] Soon thereafter William Boon from the Imperial Chemical Industries published a different synthesis method of what he called 1:3-dimethyliminazolid-2-one.

In many applications,[citation needed] DMI (as well as DMPU) can be used as a substitute or replacement for the carcinogenic solvent HMPA.

[4] DMI is used in a variety of applications including detergents, dyestuffs, electronic materials and in the manufacture of polymers.