Access to N‐Substituted 2‐Pyridones by Catalytic Intermolecular Dearomatization and 1,4‐Acyl Transfer

When the fearless Don Quixote was charging at windmills, he left his slow companion, Sancho Panza, behind. In their Communication (DOI: 10.1002/anie.201812937), J. Sun et al. describe a novel rhodium‐catalyzed dearomatization and rearrangement of O‐substituted pyridines to access N‐substituted 2‐pyridones, a challenging target since their straightforward synthesis by simple alkylation of 2‐pyridones is thwarted by their preferred O‐reactivity. The key to this transformation is the formation of the pyridinium ylide and subsequent 1,4‐acyl migratory rearrangement.

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