Data on methods for the production of derivatives of imidazo [4,5-b]pyridines are reviewed.Keywords: imidazo [4,5-b]pyridines, diaminopyridine derivatives, annelation of pyridine ring, annelation of imidazole fragment, simultaneous formation of two condensed rings. The interest in imidazopyridines arises from their diverse biological activity. Data on the biological activity of imidazole derivatives were reviewed in [1]. They are analgesic [2] and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents [2, 3], exhibit antidepressant [4], cardiotonic [5], hypotensive, antiarrhythmic [6], and antisecretory [7] activity. Among compounds of this class antagonists of angiotensin II receptors that exhibit hypotensive activity are known [8,9]. In addition, a number of the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines possess antiviral [10], antimicrobial [11], and cytotoxic [12] activities. Other aspects of the practical application of derivatives of imidazopyridines are known; for example, they are used in agriculture for the treatment of the shoots of broadleaved plants [13,14] and in the fight against rodents [15].A review of existing published data on methods for the synthesis of imidazo[4,5-b] pyridines derivatives is of undoubted interest in this connection. The information summarized in this review may be useful in the design and development of methods for the synthesis of functional derivatives of imidazopyridines and pyridopyrazines, which are prospective heterocyclic compounds for use in the search for new biologically active substances.The most useful starting compounds for the synthesis of imidazo [4,5-b]pyridines are the readily obtainable derivatives of 2,3-diaminopyridine, which are usually produced in two stages from the commercially available 2-chloro-3-nitropyridine [16] or 2-fluoro-3-nitropyridine [17]. The first stage involves nucleophilic substitution of the halogen in the pyridine ring activated by the nitro group. Reduction of the nitro group leads to the required derivative of 2,3-diaminopyridine, where the reducing agent is hydrogen in the presence of palladium on carbon [18], Raney nickel [19], sodium bisulfite, sodium borohydride, zinc, or iron in the presence of acid [19].