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.