Molecular Iodine-Mediated Chemoselective Synthesis of Multisubstituted Pyridines through Catabolism and Reconstruction Behavior of Natural Amino Acids

A new process has been developed for the selective construction of 2,6-disubstituted, 2,4,6-trisubstituted, and 3,5-disubstituted pyridines based on the catabolism and reconstruction behaviors of amino acids. Molecular iodine was used as a tandem catalyst to trigger the decarboxylation–deamination of amino acids and to promote the subsequent formation of the pyridine products.