Pyridines, nucleophilic additions onto

The pffa of 3-methylpyridine, whose anion cannot be delocalized onto N, is closer to that of toluene, and deprotonation gives only low yields with most bases. However, with a combination of BuLi and lithiodimethylaminoethanol (LiDMAE) deprotonation is quantitative but yields products 561 arising from apparent lithiation a to N (Scheme 224) Trying to force lateral lithiation of pyridines is generally doomed to failure, as ring lithiation or nucleophilic addition nsnally takes place first . 

Fort and coworkers have reported the use of BuLi-(S)-N-methyl-2-pyrroUd-ine methoxide 10 for the chemo, regio- and enantioselective reaction of pyridine derivatives with aldehydes [22] (Scheme 3) in this chemistry the amine alkoxide plays a dual role in first preventing classical nucleophilic addition of BuLi onto the heteroaromatic ring, and secondly mediating the enantioselective addition. 

Being anionic carbonyl synthons, the nitroalkanes have been explored extensively for their conversion into the corresponding carbonyl compounds. For example, the embedment of a nitroalkane onto an activated basic silica gel or the blockage of the C-protonation of nitronate with a protonated concave pyridine. The reaction under the latter condition is called the soft Nef reaction. In addition, the introduction of a y-trimethylsilyl group is proved to smooth the Nef reaction. Moreover, when a primary nitroalkane is treated with nitrite/acetic acid, a carboxylic acid is resolved. Furthermore, the oxidative Nef reaction has successfully converted the nitro cyclohexadienes into the substituted phenols via a nucleophilic addition. 

Scheme 1-137. Nucleophilic addition of -butyllithium onto 3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine and subsequent lithium fluoride elimination.

Pyridine can be attacked by nucleophiles at the C2/C6 and C4 positions in a manner analogous to the addition of nucleophiles to a carbonyl group in a 1,2 or 1,4 fashion. Attack at the C3/C5 positions is not favoured because the negative charge on the intermediate cannot be delocalised onto the electronegative nitrogen atom. 

As mentioned before, alkyl radicals and acyl radicals have a nucleophilic character therefore, radical alkylation and acylation of aromatics shows the opposite reactivity and selectivity to polar alkylation and acylation with the Friedel-Crafts reaction. Thus, alkyl radicals and acyl radicals do not react with anisole, but may react with pyridine. Eq. 5.1 shows the reaction of an alkyl radical with y-picoline (1). The nucleophilic alkyl radical reacts at the 2-position of y-picoline (1), where electron density is lower than that of the 3-position. So, 2-alkyl-4-methylpyridine (2) is obtained with complete regioselectivity. When pyridine is used instead of y-picoline, a mixture of 2-alkylpyridine and 4-alkylpyridine is obtained. Generally, radical alkylation or radical acylation onto aromatics is not a radical chain reaction, since it is just a substitution reaction of a hydrogen atom of aromatics by an alkyl radical or an acyl radical through the addition-elimination reaction. Therefore, the intermediate adduct radical (a complex) must be rearomatized to form a product and a hydrogen atom (or H+ and e ). Thus, this type of reactions proceeds effectively under oxidative conditions [1-6]. 

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