Selective synthesis of 2-substituted pyridine N-oxides via directed ortho-metallation using Grignard reagents

Addition of i-PrMgCl to pyridine N-oxides in THF at −78 °C generates selectively an ortho-metallated species, which can be trapped with various electrophiles to generate 2-substituted pyridine N-oxides. Furthermore, by applying a double metal-catalyzed cross-coupling, direct arylation of the pyridine N-oxides is achieved.