Folic acid photodegrades upon exposure to light. It is well known that the photoproducts of irradiation are 6-carboxy pterin and PABA glutamate, however, mechanism of photodegradation is not well understood. To further investigate the initial steps following folic acid irradiation, the synthesis of a library of para-substituted N-methyl aniline (NMA) derivatives were prepared which serve as models of one of the aromatic portions, PABA. Synthesis of various para-substituted N-methyl anilines was performed in a convenient two-step process. First, arylaminosuccinimides were made from the corresponding amines, formaldehyde, and succinimide. These compounds were rapidly and easily converted into corresponding mono-alkylated para-substituted N-methyl anilines upon treatment with sodium borohydride in dimethyl sulfoxide. The reaction mechanism proceeds by the base-catalyzed elimination of succinimide from para-substituted N-methyl aniline followed by a reduction of resulting imine intermediate.