Unusual Reactivity of 4-Vinyl Isoxazoles in the Copper-Mediated Synthesis of Pyridines, Employing DMSO as a One-Carbon Surrogate.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of nicotinate derivatives and tetrasubstituted pyridines through a copper-mediated cleavage of isoxazoles has been developed. The highlight of the work is the observation of an unusual reactivity of 4-vinyl isoxazoles under the reaction conditions. DMSO serves as a one-carbon surrogate generating an active methylene group during the reaction to form two C-C bonds. This protocol provides a facile and an expeditious approach for the assembly of densely substituted N-heterocyclic compounds.