A Cascade Approach to Pyridines from 2-Azido-2,4-dienoates and α-Diazocarbonyl Compounds

A one-pot synthesis of substituted pyridines via a cascade reaction of 2-azido-24-dienoates with alpha-diazocarbonyl compounds and triphenylphosphine is reported. The process involves a Staudinger-Meyer reaction, a Wolff rearrangement, ail aza-Wittig reaction, and an electrocyclic ring- closure. The procedure is general and efficient. The substrates are readily available.