Synthesis of 1-phenyl- and 1-pyridyl-3-pyridoazepines by reductive cyclization of diarylacetonitriles

Several pyrido[2,3-d]azepines and pyrido[3,4-d]azepines, novel aza analogs of the pharmacologically relevant 1-aryl-3-benzazepines, were synthesized by assembling the azepine ring by reductive cyclization of (2-methoxyvinyl)pyridinyl(aryl)acetonitrile derivatives, which were easily derived from contiguously substituted bromo(2-methoxyvinyl)pyridines and the corresponding arylacetonitriles.