De Novo Synthesis of 2,2′-Bipyridines and Related Bis-azines via Cascade Coupling and Double Pyridannulation of Isocyanides

Abstract

Herein, we present a new and general protocol for the assembly of 2,2′-bipyridyls from nonpyridine substrates without using any metal catalysts or organometallic reagents. The process starts from the coupling of two 1,3-dienyl isocyanides followed by a 6πelectrocyclization/aromatization cascade featuring the simultaneous formation of two pyridine rings in a single operation. Notably, this strategy is also applicable to the construction of nonsymmetrical 2-(2pyridyl)-quinolines/-quinoxalines. Furthermore, the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics endow our approach with great potential in biorelevant fields. Letter pubs.acs.org/OrgLett