One-pot synthesis of polysubstituted pyridine derivatives using ketene dithioacetals

Polysubstituted pyridine derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of ketene dithioacetal, 3,3-bis(methylsulfanyl)methylenemalononitrile 1b, with a variety of active methylene compounds in the presence of either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide as a base in DMSO. This reaction was carried out under economical one-pot reaction conditions (cheap catalyst and solvent) and solved the problem of the odor of methanethiol, commonly derived from reactions of ketene dithioacetals. This is a significant enhancement of GSC (green and sustainable chemistry) in the field of ketene dithioacetal chemistry.