2- Picoline 1-oxide, Claisen condensation

As seen in many of the above examples, acetic anhydride and zinc chloride each make effective condensation catalysts for the free bases, presumably by efficient coordination with the ring nitrogen. The quaternary salts condense readily in the presence of piperidine. Potassium hydroxide, methoxide or piperidinium acetate are suitable for condensations with 2- and 4-methylpyridine AAoxides. For example, the Claisen condensation is effective with these Af-oxides using ethoxide catalyst (Scheme 45) but the reaction fails with the parent picolines unless activated by nitro substitution (69JHC775). 

The above reactions have been illustrated for 2- and 4-alkylpyridines. They generally fail if no heteroatom is a or 7, as in 3-alkylpyridines and 5-alkylpyrimidines. a- and [3-Alkyl groups in pyridine A-oxides are somewhat more reactive than those on the corresponding pyridines. In addition to the reactions already mentioned, 2-picoline 1-oxide undergoes Claisen condensation with ethyl oxalate to yield the pyruvic ester (630) (for the conversion of alkyl substituents in A-oxides into CH,OAc groups see Section 3.2.3.12.5.iv). 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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