Selective C–H alkenylation of pyridines at the C3 position, with the pyridine as the limiting reagent, is a long-standing synthetic challenge. Now, it has been shown that this can be achieved using a bifunctional N-heterocyclic carbene-ligated Ni–Al catalyst that overrides the intrinsic C2/4 selectivity of pyridines and enables the selective late-stage functionalization of a range of complex pyridyl-containing motifs.
- Tao Zhang
- Yu-Xin Luan
- Jin-Quan Yu
